Commodities
Dispute Over Congo Lithium Heats Up With Dueling Claims
- Zijin announces new venture with country to explore deposits
- Australia’s AVZ argues area in question belongs to it
Congo says it wants to use the lithium and its vast supply of cobalt to eventually produce electric vehicle batteries.
Photographer: Dado Galdieri/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
A long-running dispute over one of the world’s largest hard-rock lithium deposits in the Democratic Republic of Congo took a new turn with China’s Zijin Mining Group Co. announcing a venture to develop part of the site.
Zijin said Tuesday it would partner with state-owned Cominiere to explore a newly created permit area in the southeastern town of Manono. But Australia’s AVZ Minerals Ltd. says the area covered by the new permit belongs to it.