SYDNEY ¨C Chinese Premier Li Qiang visited a lithium processing plant in resource-rich Western Australia state on Tuesday, highlighting China¡¯s push to secure critical minerals as Washington tries to break Beijing¡¯s supply dominance.
Western Australia supplies more than half of the world¡¯s seaborne iron ore, with China its top customer, and half of its lithium used in electric vehicles, smartphones and other electronic devices.
Li¡¯s visit to Australia, which began Sunday, is the first by a Chinese premier in seven years and marks a stabilization in ties between the U.S. ally and the world¡¯s second-biggest economy.
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