China has built complete supply system for lithium products, association says

BEIJING -- China has established a complete supply system for lithium products, the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association said on Wednesday.

The country's output of key lithium products, including lithium carbonate, lithium hydroxide and cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries, has ranked first globally for years, association official Lin Ruhai said at a press conference.

From January to September this year, the country's output of lithium carbonate totaled approximately 588,000 metric tons, while its lithium hydroxide output came in at roughly 303,000 tons, data shows.

Lin noted that China's lithium-ion battery industry enjoys a complete, large-scale industrial chain that covers the full life cycle from resource development to recycling.

He said that the country's fast-growing new energy vehicle (NEV) and energy storage markets have created vast space for technological innovation and capacity utilization.

In 2024, the country's NEV output and sales each exceeded 12 million, topping global rankings for a 10th consecutive year.