Electric Vehicles’ Politically Charged Global Supply Chain

China’s Sunwoda Electronic in March 2025 is expanding its footprint in Southeast Asia’s electric vehicle EV industry with a $1 billion investment in Thailand.
A rechargeable Lithium-ion battery. China’s Sunwoda Electronic in March 2025 is expanding its footprint in Southeast Asia’s electric vehicle EV industry with a $1 billion investment in Thailand. (Photo: Ronny Hartmann / AFP)

As EVs become more popular, the politics to secure the resources necessary to power these vehicles are going to become a lot more complex. This is because of how globally dispersed the supply chains are for the key minerals and metals.

The United States and Europe are especially vulnerable, given China’s dominance in the extraction of some strategic resources like cobalt. More importantly, this dominance extends to the processing of those materials, a sector where Chinese companies often have 90+% market share.

  • Get a daily email packed with the latest China-Africa news and analysis.
  • Read exclusive insights on the key trends shaping China-Africa relations.
  • Full access to the News Feed that provides daily updates on Chinese engagement in Africa and throughout the Global South.

China, Africa and the Global South... find out what’s happening.

Subscribe today for unlimited access.

OR

Already a subscriber? Log in Click Here to Learn More
by Eric Olander

Most Read

1
Developing Countries’ Debt Servicing Costs to China Are Significant, but Nowhere Near as Much as Other Creditors
2
China, U.S. Ink Rare Earth Deal; More Trade Pacts Coming
3
Rubio to Welcome Asian ‘Quad’ Back to Washington
4 Chinese Military Fans Discuss Why Indonesia Bought Rafale Instead of J-10C
5
Chinese-Moroccan Joint Venture Inaugurates EV Battery Parts Plant
6
Six Million Donkeys Slaughtered for Chinese Medicine: Charity

You Might Like

Two Events in China and the DR Congo Illustrate Why the Race for Cobalt Supplies is So Important

Soaring demand for electric cars and trucks is sparking a buying frenzy for the critical ingredients used to make the batteries in those vehicles, namely cobalt. Prices for the metal ...

China’s Ambassador to the DRC Hints the Country May Once Again Be at the Center of a Great Power Struggle

Chinese ambassador to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zhu Jing, posted a somewhat cryptic tweet earlier this week that suggested the DRC may once again be at the center of a great ...

Biden-Tshisekedi Meet on Sidelines of G20

DR Congo President Félix Tshisekedi met one-on-one with his U.S. counterpart, Joe Biden, on Friday in the run-up to the G20 summit that took place over the weekend in Rome.  There’s been a ...

The U.S. President’s Son Involved in Controversy About a Chinese Mining Deal in the DR Congo

U.S. President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter (photo), is once again at the center of a rapidly expanding controversy, this time about the sale of U.S. mining company Freeport-McMoRan’s stake in the massive Tenke Fungurume ...

What is The China-Global South Project?

Independent

The China-Global South Project is passionately independent, non-partisan and does not advocate for any country, company or culture.

News

A carefully curated selection of the day’s most important China-Global South stories. Updated 24 hours a day by human editors. No bots, no algorithms.

Analysis

Diverse, often unconventional insights from scholars, analysts, journalists and a variety of stakeholders in the China-Global South discourse.

Networking

A unique professional network of China-Africa scholars, analysts, journalists and other practioners from around the world.

More about CGSP