The discovery of an estimated 5 million metric tons of lithium deposit in Yunnan province raises on Wednesday China''s expectations of easing mineral imports, with industrial and medicinal use.
Scientists from the National Institute of Geochemistry stated that the deposit was discovered in the central basin of Yunnan province, and they said it has the highest quality standard.
According to the institute, in only 7.2 square kilometers there are deposits of 340,000 tons of lithium oxide, and throughout the basin more than 5 million metric tons.
Wen Hanjie, a researcher from the institute, stressed the importance of the deposit at a time when the country buys 80 percent of the product to maintain the production of more durable batteries and electric vehicles, its commitment facing the environmental pollution.
He also recalled the extensive use of lithium in the aviation industry and as a treatment for bipolar disorders.
China has other natural resource deposits in Sichuan province and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Due to the two places are located at altitudes as high as 3,500 to 4,000 meters, respectively, make it hard to mine lithium on a large scale.
