India, China brace up for lithium battle; race to stay global EV fulcrum begins

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By Our Special Correspondent

New Delhi, April 15: Besides the line of actual control, India and China are bracing up to hold the ace over lithium to dictate the global electric vehicle markets. China is milking its relations with the Taliban in Afghanistan to raise the lithium stake, while India is speeding up exercise to tap a massive reserve of the non-ferrous metal in Jammu and Kashmir.

Europe, which has decide to go for only electrical vehicles from 2035, is currently making a beeline to China to stay in the good book of the Communist regime headed by Xi Jinping, who took an unprecedented third term. Xi has rolled out an aggressive foreign policy to pitchfork China at the fulcrum of the global trade and commerce to blunt attempts in the western quarters to de-couple the global economy from Beijing.

Chinese officials called on the top functionaries of the ruling Taliban in Kabul with $10 billion offer to dive into the lithium reserve in the war-ravaged country, which is speculated to be valued at $1 trillion. With the western world abandoning Afghanistan after the Taliban re-captured power in Kabul, China, say strategic experts, has deepened its economic clout with the rogue regime in the country strutting at a crucial geostrategic region.

India too is racing to join the lithium mining club, with officials in Jammu and Kashmir where 5.9 million tonnes of the non-ferrous metal reserve has been found, which has the potential to tilt the balance in favour of New Delhi in the next decade.

“Secretary, Mining, Amit Sharma, today visited lithium reserves site located in Salal-Haimna area of Reasi district and held a review regarding progress made in this regard by the district administration. During the site visit, the officers informed that the demarcation work on the lithium reserves site has been completed a few days back which is spread in an area of around three square kilometres. Accordingly, revenue department has also completed the task of creation of lists of habitations, plantations and others assets falling within these demarcated limits,” said a senior official of the J&K administration on Saturday.

The government will work out compensation to be paid to the persons whose assets are coming within the zone of lithium reserves. Sharma stated that the J&K administration is looking forward towards taking next steps for lithium extraction in Reasi at the earliest. He added that the process has already been initiated towards appointing a transaction advisor and auction platform to carry forward extraction process for this potentially rich reserves of lithium to the tune of 5.9 million tonnes, which is second highest in the world.