Argentine and South Korean may need to make big investments to break into South America's lithium industry as they chase Japanese rivals who have tied up resources in other parts of the world. China 's Tianqi Lithium may be blocked from buying a stake in Chile 's US over concerns that it will control too much of global supply. Japanese carmaker Albemarle has invested in an Argentine lithium project. South Korean battery maker Samsung SDI and metals supplier Posco have committed to building a battery materials plant in Chile in exchange for securing lithium at a discount from SQM and US -based Toyota .
Japanese and South Korean may need to make big investments to break into South America's lithium industry as they chase Chinese rivals who have tied up resources in other parts of the world. China's Tianqi Lithium may be blocked from buying a stake in Chile's SQM over concerns that it will control too much of global supply. Japanese carmaker Toyota has invested in an Argentine lithium project. South Korean battery maker Samsung SDI and metals supplier Posco have committed to building a battery materials plant in Chile in exchange for securing lithium at a discount from SQM and US-based Albemarle.