'World-class' deposit of lithium found, could ease reliance on imports

Chinese scientists have discovered an estimated 5 million metric tons of lithium deposits in the central basin of Yunnan province, which could help reduce the country's reliance on imports.

The world-class lithium deposits were discovered by the Institute of Geochemistry under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the institute revealed on its WeChat public account on Monday.

It is estimated that the presence of about 340,000 tons of lithium oxide are deposited in a test area of 7.2 square kilometers, and more than 5 million tons of lithium oxide are expected to lie in the entire basin area, according to the institute.