Luis Arce seeks other investors for Bolivian lithium after US criticism

General after two weeks Laura RichardsonThe commander of the US Southern Command said he wanted to contain “hostile forces”. Lithium in South AmericaGovernment Lewis Ars He protested, but said that 42 foreign companies would be given space.

who was most opposed to Richardson’s words Evo MoralesWith references to “the empire’s backyard”, but the reaction Ars seems to be responding to the urgency to attract foreign investment And, above all, in Reaching agreements with the IMF requires rapprochement with the US.

Even Morales current spokesmen, the cocalero was forced to resign from the presidency in November 2019 because the “empire” wanted to seize Bolivian lithium, considered the world’s largest metal reserves.

Citic Guoan and Tbea Group of Bolivia are now open to join other companies in the lithium business, the announcement said. ChinaLilac Solutions Off America And uranium is a group Russiaexpressed their interest in opening negotiations with Bolivia to industrialize this resource.

Last January, Luis Arce’s government signed an “agreement” with Chinese conglomerate Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL), the text of which was not disclosed despite the law ordering Uyuni and lithium carbonate production. Coipasa salt flats valued at 1,080 million dollars.

Now, the Russian Uranium One group offers to apply for one Revolutionary method To extract lithium from wet brine in South America, it contains an electronic “sorbent”. Brine from Bolivian lakes is more resistant to evaporation than Argentine and Chilean salt flats. The Russian company is working with rare earths in Bolivia and is subject to negotiations between the two governments, The Economist Intelligence Unit reported.

And there is Other countries of interestAccording to a government report.

Expert Napoleon Pacheco recalls that the German company ACI Systems signed an agreement with the Bolivian government in 2018 to do this in a lithium hydroxide plant for seventy years with an investment of 1,300 million dollars. For this, a mixed consortium called YBL ACISA was created, but a year later the contract was canceled by the government of Evo Morales, which the lawyers of the German company consider irregular and believe that the contract will be reinstated or the Bolivian government. Lakhs of damages should be paid.

According to the United States Geological Survey in 2020, the three countries of the South American “Lithium Triangle” accumulated 58% of the world’s resources, totaling 86 million metric tons, with Bolivia accounting for 24.4%, Argentina 22.4%, and Chile 11.2%. Of the global total of 21 million metric tons, in terms of total economically and technically extractable reserves of lithium, Chile accounts for 43.7%, Argentina 9%, Australia 22.3%, China 7.1% and the United States 3.6%.

Experts confirm that there are no studies regarding reserves in Bolivia, although only various estimates are available, including 21 million tonnes.

And all these Amid the biggest economic crisis and the biggest corruption scandal It shook the government of Luis Arce, which also faced international condemnation for human rights abuses and the relentless attacks of Evo Morales.

According to relatives of the prisoners, a delegation from the IACHR has arrived to learn about the situation of more than 130 political prisoners held on the orders of Cocalero Morales. They say Cogalero wanted revenge on everyone he accused of participating in or celebrating, which he resigned in 2019 and quickly fled.

The cocoa grower’s influence on the judiciary is so clear that Justice Minister Ivan Lima said the next judges may be better because “this time they won’t be chosen by Evo”.

The Arce government appeared to have forgotten the control of justice that Morales exercised, but is now supporting an effort to leave the selection of judicial candidates for next year’s special elections in the hands of the MAS party.

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