Chinese Investment Fuels Zimbabwe’s $2.16 Billion Lithium Export Surge
Zimbabwe exported $2.16 billion of lithium in nine months, largely from a 283% jump. Lithium miners in Zimbabwe have asked the government for more time to build processing facilities, ahead of a January 2027 ban on concentrate exports. Sinomine Resource Group secured an export quota for an additional 300,000 metric tons of lithium concentrate from Zimbabwe.
Why it matters: The processing deadline and the new export quota show how critical minerals policy in southern Africa conditions Chinese investment in battery-metal supply chains.