Bolivia assured that a “neighboring country” wants to control its lithium and its resources

#Bolivia #assured #neighboring #country #control #lithium #resources

He President of Bolivia, Luis Arceassured on Thursday that a “neighboring country” seeks to control its resources, including lithium.

He also denounced that this neighbor, whom he did not name, wants to exclude Bolivia from “strategic communications processes” and show it as a “failed state.”

“It is our duty, as Bolivians, to defend our natural resources and our sovereignty. We must be prepared to face any threat that puts our future at risk,” the president remarked during the anniversary of the “Gualberto Villarroel” Military College of the Army, in La Paz.

The Bolivian Government claims to have some of the largest lithium reserves in the world, estimated at about 21 million tons contained in large salt flats, such as Uyuniin the Potosí region.

Arce indicated that the country “is in a strategic geopolitical positionin the heart of South America, and has strategic natural resources such as lithium, rare earths and fresh water, which are essential resources for the technological and economic development of the world.

Likewise, the president stressed that The “efforts of the powers to control Bolivian lithium are increasingly evident”and for this reason there are attempts to destabilize his Government with disinformation campaigns and economic pressure.

In 2023, Bolivia signed agreements for the application of direct lithium extraction (EDL) technology with the Chinese companies CATL BRUNP & MOC (CBC) and Citic Guoan, and the Russian Uranium One Group.

In addition, it signed another with the Indian firm Altimin to develop technology in the manufacturing of lithium ion batteries.

At the end of last year, it inaugurated an industrial complex to produce 15,000 tons of lithium per year with a system of evaporation pools, which is part of a plan that aims to reach 100,000 tons between 2025 and 2026, when the projects are operating in its entirety.