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Now Widodo also needs a free trade agreement (FTA) with the United States for Indonesian materials to qualify for the generous EV subsidies available under the Biden administration's Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). What it got after last week's bilateral meeting was a commitment "to develop a critical minerals action plan (...) with a view toward establishing the foundation to launch future negotiations on a critical minerals agreement". The joint statement included some pointers as to what the United States expects from that action plan in terms of environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards. A limited trade agreement on critical minerals could become an even more restricted deal if it were to apply only to non-Chinese material streams. South Korea has the advantage of having had an FTA with the United States since 2012.

Persons: Joko Widodo, Tesla, Widodo, Washington, Biden, Joe Manchin, Janet Yellen, Manchin, Trafigura, Emelia Sithole Organizations: Vale Tbk, U.S, Biden, GREEN, Benchmark Minerals, Australia, Greenpeace, of, Group, Minerals, Korea, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Sorowako, Indonesia's, Asian, United States, Indonesia, United, GREEN Indonesia, Philippines, Ulsan, South Korea, Morocco, South

☆ Exclusive: Exxon aims to begin lithium production by 2026 in Arkansas
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( Ernest Scheyder | Thomson Reuters | Ernest Scheyder Is An Award-Winning Senior Correspondent Covering The Green Energy Transition | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

For Exxon and other oil companies, lithium production offers the prospect of selling a new product with relatively little added cost. OTHER ACREAGESeparate from its Tetra partnership, Exxon also controls more than 100,000 acres in Arkansas from which it plans to begin lithium production by 2027, according to the source. It was not clear whether Exxon plans to expand lithium operations outside Arkansas. Like all oil producers, Exxon extracts water containing traces of lithium as part of fossil fuel production. The Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission, which overseas lithium operations in the state, has said it plans to hold hearings on the matter.

Persons: Darren Woods, Mike Blake, Albemarle, Ernest Scheyder, Caroline Humer, David Gregorio Our Organizations: ExxonMobil, Milken, Global Conference, REUTERS, Exxon Mobil, Exxon, Tetra Technologies, EV, Reuters, Tetra, Chevron, Battery Metals, EnergySource Minerals, Energy, Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission, Benchmark Minerals, Thomson Locations: Beverly Hills , California, U.S, Arkansas, Florida, Texas, Albemarle, Louisiana, Los Angeles

REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Oct 23 (Reuters) - China is upping the critical minerals stakes by curbing exports of graphite, a key raw material in electric vehicle batteries. There is much potential for further escalation in this unfolding critical minerals battle between China and the West. Previous restrictions on lower-grade graphite exports destined for the steel and lubricants sectors have been rescinded. The world's graphite supply chain could well be in for a similar short-term shock. Western governments are still evaluating their response, waiting like the rest of us to see how China's graphite volumes play out in the coming months.

Persons: Fabian Bimmer, Wei Jianguo, Wei, Biden, Obama, Trump, Adam Hodge, China's Wei, David Evans Organizations: Volkswagen, REUTERS, Commerce, U.S, Chips, Benchmark Minerals, U.S . Department, Department of Defense, EV, World Trade Organization, European Union, WTO, Thomson, Reuters Locations: Salzgitter, Germany, China, U.S, Alaska, Australia, Japan

A super-charged two-year rally, which saw Chinese spot lithium carbonate prices rise by tenfold, went into brutal reverse over the first part of this year. The slump in China's spot price dragged down the whole lithium pricing chain from spodumene concentrate to hydroxide, albeit to highly varying degrees. But lithium's roller-coaster ride highlights the important role China's spot market and the Wuxi futures exchange play in the fast-growing industry's price discovery process. Many lithium buyers, in other words, will be paying higher prices this year whatever happens in the Chinese spot market. The collapse in China's spot price has far exceeded the decline in the price of Australian spodumene, another closely tracked market indicator.

☆ Can the World Make an Electric Car Battery Without China?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Agnes Chang | Keith Bradsher | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +10 min

China controls 6% of the world’s nickel 78% of graphite 5% of manganese China controls 6% of the world’s nickel 78% of graphite 5% of manganese Source: CRU Group, U.S.G.S. China makes 73% of NMC cathodes 99% of LFP cathodes China makes 73% of NMC cathodes 99% of LFP cathodes Source: CRU Group Note: Data for “NMC cathodes” category includes NMC, NCA, NMCA; “LFP cathodes” includes LFP, LMFP. China makes 66% of the world’s battery cells 2.8” Cathode Each car has thousands of cells. China makes 54% of the world’s electric cars China makes 54% of the world’s electric cars Source: IEA Note: Data for 2021American investors remain wary about putting money into electric vehicles. Electric car buyers in China get tax rebates, cheaper vehicle registration, preferential parking and access to an extensive charging network.

☆ Chile has outperformed other emerging markets and the S&P 500 this year. Here's how
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Stocks in Chile are also outperforming the broader emerging markets. The iShares MSCI Emerging Market ETF (EEM) is down more than 28% for the year. Apart from the iShares MSCI Chile ETF, which helps investors gain exposure to the total addressable market, Chile makes up just a small part of other funds. The country comprises just 0.2% of the Morningstar global markets index, for example, and only about 0.6% of its emerging markets index. For macro investors, Chile is one of the interesting countries in the emerging market universe to deploy, according to BCA Research's Budaghyan.

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