Foreign media: African resource countries are increasingly strengthening control over critical minerals, pushing up global commodity prices and potentially causing a direct impact on China's supply chain.
The latest case comes from Zimbabwe, the largest lithium ore producing country in Africa. The country had originally planned to implement a ban on the export of raw lithium ore and concentrates in 2027 to promote local processing, but due to mining companies significantly increasing production and exports before the ban, the government decided to implement the ban earlier. Zimbabwe's Minister of Mines, Kambamura, stated after a cabinet meeting on March 3 that companies were competing to apply for export licenses during the notice period, intending to export as much raw ore as possible. Therefore, the government accelerated the implementation of the ban.
This move has a particularly significant impact on China's battery industry - about 15% of the lithium concentrate supply for Chinese battery manufacturers comes from Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe is not an isolated case; many African resource countries are exploring ways to enhance their pricing power over domestic resources.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1859814835690504/
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