Italy has announced its formal withdrawal from the Belt and Road Initiative after joining the China-centered infrastructure and investment project in 2019.
The timing of the announcement that Rome won’t renew its BRI commitment is notable. It came only a day before the EU-China summit, which kicks off on Thursday. The summit will likely be more contentious than usual, with European leaders expected to push China on the treatment of EU firms amid discussions ...
Category: Battery Metals
Biden Issues New Rules That Aim to Cut China Out of the U.S.’ EV Battery Supply Chain
U.S. consumers will no longer benefit from a $7,500 tax credit when they buy an electric vehicle that contains battery metals that were produced in China, according to new rules released by the Biden administration on Friday. The new regulations are ...
Indonesia’s Widodo Visits White House as U.S. and China Seek Stronger Ties With World’s Leading Nickel Producer
U.S. President Joe Biden welcomed Indonesian counterpart Joko Widodo at the White House as the two leaders prepare for the APEC summit in San Francisco, where Biden will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Topping the U.S.-Indonesia agenda are talks on advancing ...
Four Key Trends in Battery Metals
Amid heightened demand for green technology, prices for critical minerals should be going up, up, up, right? In reality, prices have proven volatile. Even as demand keeps rising, new supply sources are coming online, potentially driving down prices. In addition, geopolitical ...
Japan Moves to Build China-Free EV Battery Supply Chain
Nishimura Yasutoshi, Japan's economy and industry minister, spent last week crisscrossing southern Africa on a five-nation tour at the behest of his country's auto industry that is looking for new supplies of the raw materials needed to power electric vehicles. Japan, like ...
Chinese Company Targets South Africa With Renewable Energy Solutions Despite Difficulties Weaning off Coal
China’s Hinen Group is expanding into South Africa with a promise to make renewable energy accessible and affordable for everyone, according to the company’s Country Manager, Andy Zhou Xiang Yang. Hinen Solar South Africa is launching in the Southern African ...
Analysis from Cobus van Staden
Awkward Timing as Italy Withdraws from BRI
New Billion-dollar Korean-Chinese EV Battery Plant Deal Likely to Anger the U.S.
South Korea's LG Chem signed a deal with Chinese mining and metal refining giant Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt to build a massive $920 million electric vehicle battery factory in southwest Korea. While the proposed factory makes a lot of sense for companies ...
How Far Ahead Is China in the Battery Race? Pretty Far.
China is sprinting ahead in the global race for critical minerals used to make batteries for electric cars, leaving Western competitors scrambling to catch up. Chinese companies’ early investment into the extraction of lithium and cobalt in Africa was key to this success, according to a detailed new report by ...
Ford Teams Up With Chinese, Indonesian Companies in Nickel Venture
The Ford Motor Company is teaming up with Indonesia's PT Vale and Chinese mining giant Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt to buy the Pomalaa nickel processing plant in Indonesia. The $4.5 billion venture deepens the U.S.-automaker's stake in the battery metal supply chain in ...