Three trillion dollars worth of minerals on Afghan soil: China's eye on lithium

- The price of lithium used in the manufacture of electric vehicles has risen to Rs 10 lakh per tonne.

Globally, the political equations have changed dramatically recently and their impact has been felt in various markets around the world. Especially in Afghanistan, with the rise of the Taliban, the eyes of various players in the world market have been on the various events taking place there on a daily basis. According to world market experts, a large amount of various minerals have been stored in the soil of Afghanistan. Looking at this amount, are countries like China supporting Afghanistan and the Taliban? Such a question has been heard in the world market recently. According to one estimate, the market value of the amount of various minerals and minerals that have been dumped under Afghanistan's soil is estimated to be around ૨ 3 to ૩ 3 trillion, equivalent to one trillion rupees. Of these, large amounts of lithium are stored underground in Afghanistan. According to experts in the automobile sector, such lithium metal will be used in large quantities to make electric vehicles and China is keeping an eye on the quantity of lithium. Demand for lithium is expected to rise sharply in the near future as the number of vehicles running on petrol and diesel decreases and the number of electric vehicles increases significantly in various parts of the world. A previous US survey found that Afghanistan had large reserves of lithium. Demand for lithium hydrochloride has increased in recent years.

Meanwhile, the price of lithium in the world market has been on the rise. The price of lithium has more than doubled since the beginning of this year. In terms of China's yuan currency, the price is around 200 yuan. Meanwhile, China has invested heavily in many mines in the Congo country. And China's initial efforts to expand capacity at these mines are estimated to cost about ઢ 2.5 billion. Earlier, China had decided to develop a large copper mine project in Afghanistan in 2007, but the project has not started yet despite the fact that it has been 15-16 years. Seeing that, the Chinese authorities have been annoyed by the political instability there. In such a scenario, how much interest does China show in the exploration and production of minerals in Afghanistan? The answer to that question will be found later, but until then, the attitude of the world market players has been keeping an eye on the attitude of the United States and Russia towards the question of Afghanistan. Argentina is the fourth largest producer of lithium in the world. Lithium levels in the northern part of Argentina have been high. The government is working hard to bring this amount out quickly.