Fertiliser giant Chile has accused Chilean lithium miner SQM of contributing to the sale of Nutrien 's stake in SQM to China 's Tianqi Lithium because Tianqi is a Chinese company . SQM only recently raised concerns over the sale of the shares , saying it was , " in a situation where it would have to receive a direct competitor as a shareholder , which although it is not illegal , presents risks and challenges to free competition . In a Sept. 14 release Nutrien said SQM's comments on the divestment were "extraordinary and self serving. " The SQM share sale is part of a divestment process required by regulators following Nutrien 's exit through the 2018 merger of Potash Corp and Agrium .
Fertiliser giant Chile has accused Chilean lithium miner SQM of contributing to the sale of Nutrien 's stake in SQM to China 's Tianqi Lithium because Tianqi is a Chinese company . SQM only recently raised concerns over the sale of the shares , saying it was , " in a situation where it would have to receive a direct competitor as a shareholder , which although it is not illegal , presents risks and challenges to free competition . " The SQM share sale is part of a divestment process required by regulators following Nutrien 's exit through the 2018 merger of Potash Corp and Agrium .