This concerns lithium deposits in the city of Manono, where Zijin is to cooperate with the state-owned company Cominiere and explore a new area where a mining permit has been issued. In this situation, the Australian company AVZ Minerals Ltd. announced its opposition, claiming that the area covered by the new permit belongs to it.
According to the official website of AVZ Minerals, Manono contains lithium pegmatites with a length of over 13 km.
Without lithium there are no “electrics”
Lithium is called “white gold”. It is an essential raw material for the production of batteries for electric cars. Therefore, Congo wants to use lithium and cobalt resources to develop “electrics”. Bloomberg emphasizes that the US supports the plan of this African country because in this way Beijing’s control over the lithium market can be partially limited.
AVZ responded to Bloomberg that arbitration on the matter is ongoing at the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris. On October 19, the Chinese venture Zijin-Cominiere, Manono Lithium SAS, appeared on the list of projects that received mining permits.
What is the dispute about? The Chinese believe that they can operate in the north-eastern part of the area previously belonging to AVZ. In the opinion of Australians, they take care of the entire area.
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2023-10-25 19:39:57
#Hot #atmosphere #lithium #deposits #Congo #background #conflict #superpowers
