Lithium carbonate prices are fluctuating at high levels, experts call for a return to a reasonable range.

"Lithium carbonate price increase, most of the profits may have been taken away by overseas mining companies," Zhou Bo, Secretary General of the Lithium Iron Phosphate Materials Sub-Committee of the China Chemical and Physical Power Industry Association, told reporters. Currently, China mainly imports lithium ore. With the increase in lithium carbonate prices, domestic smelters make a small processing fee, while the bulk of the profits are still in the hands of Chilean and Australian lithium mining companies. In addition, experts in the new energy vehicles, energy storage, and lithium iron phosphate industries unanimously believe that high-priced lithium carbonate has already affected the development of the industry and call for lithium carbonate prices to return to a reasonable range. Cui Dongshu, Secretary General of the Automotive Circulation Association's Passenger Car Market Information Joint Subcommittee, told reporters: "Currently, lithium carbonate is priced at 18,000-19,000 yuan per ton, not driven by actual downstream car purchasing demand. Upstream production control and price support, production halt in Jiangxi lithium mines resulting in supply tightening, combined with the overdrawn market expectations of energy storage growth, speculative capital pushing prices higher, while actual real demand support is limited."