Germany says it needs more lithium and wants to catch up with Beijing’s huge investment in the south American mining sector. At the same time Berlin is looking to reduce dependence on China.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced a new, expanded commodities partnership with Chile as he toured South America.
Like much of the world, Berlin is working to transition to a greener economy and zooming in on Germany’s strong auto industry producing clean energy cars requires lithium. The ultra-light metal is key to making batteries for electric vehicles.