In 2021, China produced almost 80 percent of the world’s natural graphite, although it only has 22 percent of global reserves. (Image source: Pixabay)

Significantly less graphite could soon be coming into the EU from China. This is due to new regulations for Chinese exporters: from December 1, 2023, they will have to obtain export licenses for graphite products.

The German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (DIHK) has issued a warning for this reason. The German economy is dependent on the free global exchange of critical raw materials, says DIHK Head of Foreign Trade Volker Treier. Among other things, graphite is an important raw material to produce batteries for electric vehicles. To avoid bottlenecks, alternatives to Chinese graphite must be created. Treier proposes trade and raw materials agreements with Latin America and countries in the Indo-Pacific region.

Source: DIHK (German)