The changes to the mining code in Congo, which supplies some 60 percent of the world's cobalt, could have repercussions for consumers around the world.
Last year, a more than month-long strike at Escondida ended with workers opting to extend their previous contract through July 31 of this year instead of replacing it.
The world’s biggest producer of cobalt has agreed to sell around a third of its cobalt production over the next three years to the Chinese battery recycler.
The relentless climb in China's port inventories of iron ore may not be as worrying to the market as they appear, more a reflection of a change in dynamics than anything else.
Sean Donnelly, CEO of the company, added that the Canadian government must put resources in place to ensure that cheap steel is not diverted to Canada.
Chile development agency Corfo has asked antitrust regulators to block the sale of a 32 percent stake in Chilean lithium company SQM to a Chinese firm on the grounds it would give it an unfair advantage in the global race to secure resources to develop electric vehicles.
