Here’s How Donald Trump Can Break China’s Battery Monopoly

This article contains opinion from the author.

Batteries. They are in your car, your phone, and pretty much everything else that you use in your life. As technology has advanced, the demand for improved battery technology has increased sharply.

Several decades ago it would require several large D-sized batteries in order to power something as simple as a flashlight. Today, a battery the size of stick of gum powers your phone for hours-on-end without needing a charge.

Unfortunately for the United States, very few batteries are actually made within the borders of our country. You would have to venture across the Pacific Ocean to find who supplies most of the United States’ batteries.

China, according to economic data, produces upwards of 72% of the battery supply in the United States. If China decided to stop importing batteries to the United States tomorrow, entire sections of the U.S. economy would collapse overnight.

Everyday Americans would struggle to buy new batteries for their cars, or to have their cell phone repairs. Manufacturers of technology like smartphones, smart watches, hybrid vehicles, manufacturing equipment, agricultural equipment would be forced immediately cease business operations.

How Did China Acquire A Monopoly On Lithium?

The defining image of China’s monopoly on Lithium was captured on August 15th, 2021 when U.S. helicopters could be seen landing on the roof of the U.S. embassy in Kabul.

The fall of America’s presence in the Arab nation was not just a monumental win for China, who has stated that they seek to upend the Nation’s status as the world’s lone superpower, but a catastrophic strategic failure on behalf of the United States.

Afghanistan is said to have lithium deposits exceeding over $1 Trillion in worth. Afghanistan is the largest producer of lithium in the entire world, and immediately after the United States was chased out of the Middle Eastern nation, China swooped in.

China Has Invested Billions Of Dollars Into Afghanistan’s Lithium Deposits

The Nation of China has invested billions of dollars into lithium mining operations within Afghanistan since the United States withdrew their military forces from the middle eastern nation, mostly though private companies controlled by the Communist Party.

The Chinese company ‘Gochin’ has invested $10 Billion alone into the operations, also proclaiming that they want to build a hydroelectric dam, and a new tunnel in the Salang gateway, which would connect Afghanistan to Russia and China.

The Chinese Government has directly provided over $350 Million of its own currency to Afghanistan in the form of foreign aid. Per the Chinese Government’s website,

Since the Afghan Taliban came to power in August 2021, China has provided Afghanistan with humanitarian assistance worth more than 350 million RMB yuan, including cash, food, medicine, and wintering supplies.

Trade between the two nations has reached a total value of over $595 Million per year, and is quickly gaining steam. Afghanistan and China are increasing their trade volume by 13.6% per year.

China hasn’t just focused their attention on lithium, either, as private companies tied to the Chinese Communist Party have attempted to invest over $3 Billion in copper mining operations within the Arab nation.

The company, China Metallurgical Group (MCC), agreed to invest $3 billion, which includedbuilding a plant to process the copper in-country, developing a railway to Torkham on the Pakistani border, and constructing a power plant to provide energy to the mine site, the surrounding areas, and the city of Kabul. However, development stalled due to security challenges, contract disagreements between MCC and the Afghan government, and concerns about impacts on cultural heritage.

China is making a clear run on Afghanistan in order to secure the rich resources of Afghanistan for themselves, much like they have used the Nation of Iran in order to create a never-ending flow of energy to power their economy.

Outside of the United States things look even worse, as China produces over 80% of the batteries in the entire world.

New Battery Technology May Open Window For U.S. To Retake Control Of World Battery Market

A new nascent battery technology has been discovered in the United States that could potentially pave the way for the United States to upend China’s monopoly on battery technology across the world, and you’ll never guess what it is made of… Salt.

Yes, table salt.

Soda ash, as it’s called, is a sodium compound that is created using ordinary table salt, and no rare earth minerals. Particularly and most importantly, no lithium.

Not only is the new compound more durable, but it is also safer. The only drawback at this point is the weight and size of the sodium batteries, which researchers say will improve over time.

The United States Controls 92% Of The World’s Salt Supply

Unlike lithium, which has fallen almost entirely to the hands of the Chinese, the salt trade across the world lies solely in the hands of the United States, as America controls 92% of the world’s salt trade.

Six national laboratories, along with eight universities received a $50 Million grant from the Department of Energy in order to develop this technology, and the early indicators are promising.

Further development of the soda ash battery technology could break the back of China’s lithium battery monopoly without military intervention, or a direct challenge to China’s current mode of operation.

It could also lower the price of batteries, experts say.

Here’s The Problem, And What The United States Can Do About It

One current drawback with the battery is that it requires nickel in order to produce it, an inconvenient truth that researchers say will change with further development.

Placing resources into the development of sodium-based batteries appears to be a great idea. Driving a wedge between China and Afghanistan may provide temporary relief to the United States’ situation, but China’s monopoly on lithium is seemingly inevitable.

Another current drawback is that China is currently the only nation that is producing sodium-based batteries for consumption. U.S. studies require Chinese manufactured sodium-based batteries to conduct their studies.

The Easiest Way To Destroy China’s Battery Monopoly Is To Mine The Lithium Beneath Our Feet

The United States currently has one of the largest lithium deposits in the world sitting below our feet, yet there is only one operational lithium mine in the entire country.

That lithium mine exists in Humboldt, Nevada. It was built in 2023, showing how long the U.S. has ignored the key mineral of which there is an abundance of in the Western United States.

It is estimated that there is 20-40 million metric tons of lithium in the State of Nevada alone.

In the Salton Sea, a lake in California, it is estimated that there are 18 million metric tons of lithium ready to be mined. There is also a large deposit of lithium under Arkansas.

The United States could spare itself years of tedious research and development by simply mining the lithium below our feet. Regulations created by the EPA make establishing a lithium mine in the United States nearly impossible.

Direct investment by the U.S. government into lithium mining operations within the United States is not only crucial, but essential to the United States combatting China’s monopoly on lithium battery technology across the world.

By removing stringent regulations and empowering companies to begin construction of lithium mines in California, Arkansas, and Nevada, the United States can successfully drive a knife into the heart of China’s energy monopoly, and plans to topple America as the world’s lone superpower.