In this keynote speech, a representative from the Chinese government will discuss pertinent issues relating to the development of China’s new energy and battery industries.

– Understanding global EV market trends: Is EV adoption accelerating or decelerating outside of China?  What is the outlook in Europe and North America? 

– How are macroeconomic trends and geopolitics impacting consumer sentiment and EV adoption rates? 

– What can China do to maintain its market hegemony despite Western regulations on China’s exporting capacity? 

– Looking beyond the Western supply chain: Opportunities for partnerships and growth in Southeast Asia’s growing EV markets. 

– Understanding the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA): What do Chinese companies need to know to remain competitive and compliant whilst mitigating risk to overseas investments?  

– How are global conglomerates being impacted by the tariffs imposed by North America?  

– The long-term impact: How will the IRA affect international listing prices and the battery supply chain? 

– Post-election outlooks: How will the USA’s 2024 presidential election outcome impact the IRA and future US-China trade relations? How will this, in turn, shape bilateral and multilateral trade relationships for Chinese raw materials, batteries and EVs? 

– How is Asia’s battery ecosystem set to develop in the coming years, and what is China’s future role within it as a major investor and exporter? 

– Will the trend of increased Chinese investment in Asia’s battery marketcontinue?

– Will the trend of increased Chinese investment in Asia’s battery market continue? Which countries and regions provide the greatest opportunities for investment in 2025 and beyond? 

– Global lithium demand dynamics: what is the current demand in Asia, Europe and the United States?

– Supply side dynamics: what is the situation in Africa, Australia and Asia? How are new entrants, like Zimbabwe, impacting the lithium supply chain?

– The market overview: an overview of critical trends in the lithium and spodumene markets over the past year.

– Lithium price forecasts and pricing mechanisms.

– Lithium supply growth and production outlooks in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil and Chile. 

– How are geopolitics impacting the Lithium Triangle?  

– How is South America’s supply chain likely to evolve in the short- to medium-term, and how could this impact Chinese and Asian imports of lithium? 

– Africa’s role in the global battery supply chain: Explore the continent’s future as a key supplier of critical minerals powering the green energy transition. 

– How significant is Africa going to be as a producer of lithium and graphite? 

– African perspectives on evolving resource investment, resource nationalism and domestic processing policies. How can foreign investors align with local priorities? 

– Financing Africa’s critical mineral potential: Discover opportunities for foreign investors to enhance Africa’s raw materials production and domestic value chains. 

– How to establish productive and equitable relationships between foreign investors, African miners and mine-affected communities. 

– Outlook on the international supply of graphite and petroleum coke.  

– What is the demand outlook for anodes in markets beyond China, and how does this relate to EV demand trends?  

– How is the market developing with regards to the split between natural and synthetic anodes?  

– The development of anode supply chains beyond China: How is the USA’s Inflation Reduction Act and the EU’s Critical Raw Materials Act impacting anode supply chains? 

– ESG and sustainability: What ESG concerns surround graphite and how can the market mitigate against this? 

– Is the continued dominance of LFP in China’s domestic market a foregone conclusion, or will the presently weak NCM sector improve?  

– The international outlook: What are Western consumers and OEMs prioritising in battery chemistries? Ultimately, will LFP or NCM prevail in Europe and North America? 

– How do variant chemistries, such NCMA and LMFP, fit into this equation? What is their projected global market share? 

– Market outlooks on the major producers of fluorspar (China, South Africa, Mexico and Mongolia) and how their market share is changing. 

– Is the fluorspar supply shortage in China set to continue? How is legislation going to impact fluorspar production in China going forward?  

– The downstream demand outlook for electrolyte. 

– Sourcing IRA-compliant fluorspar and LiPF6. 

– Battery recycling technologies, processes and trends in China.  

– Updates on China’s policies regarding imported black mass and classification of waste. 

– What can other markets learn from China’s mature battery recycling industry in terms of economies of scale, efficiencies, and consolidation? 

Delegates are invited to attend one of the below roundtable discussions and engage in a deep-dive, peer-led discussion around one of the key trends, challenges and opportunities impacting China’s battery industry. All roundtable discussions will be facilitated by Fastmarkets experts. 

– Table 1: LFP versus NCM – which will prevail in Asian and Western markets? 

– Table 2: Will sodium-ion batteries disrupt lithium-ion dominance?  

– Table 3: ESG best practices for China’s battery industry

– Table 4: China’s ESS landscape and growth prospects 

– Table 5: Advancements in DLE 

– Table 6: Developments in European and North American EV markets – will they ever catch up to China? 

– Table 7: How can cathode producers keep pace with EV innovations? 

– Table 8: What are the key developments in silicon and non-graphite anode development? 

Calling all early risers who relish a challenge. Open to all attendees. Please note that attendees must sign up in advance as limited places are available. 

– A macroeconomic outlook on the international trade flows and dynamics set to impact the battery sector in 2025.  

– The role of geopolitics in the macroeconomic outlook for China’s battery industry. 

– Will China’s slower than anticipated economic growth impact domestic and international battery raw materials supply chains in 2025? 

– The key macroeconomic factors impacting international EV consumer trends and adoption rates. 

– Is the decline of NCM batteries in China set to continue? What will NCM batteries’ market share look like in 2025 and beyond, and how will this impact the nickel market? 

– High nickel versus mid nickel cathode materials – could mid nickel products be viable competitors to rival LFP market dominance? 

– How is the landscape of nickel-based battery raw materials, including nickel sulphate and nickel briquette, set to evolve in 2025? 

– The supply outlook for MHP in 2025. 

– The international market acceptance of Indonesian nickel. How are upstream and midstream actors mitigating ESG concerns from the North American and European markets? 

– Understanding Europe’s Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) and the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM): What do Chinese companies and investors need to know and what does legal compliance entail? 

– How will European tariffs impact future supply chain dynamics? 

– What can China-based companies do to gain or maintain access to the European market? 

– Rising tariffs in North America and the EU, along with diversified supply chains, make creative foreign partnerships essential for Chinese companies seeking to establish or maintain a multinational presence. 

– In this session, discover how to identify potential strategic partners and cultivate effective relationships that aid international expansion and mitigate risk. 

– What do foreign corporations think about partnering with Chinese companies? 

– Where should Chinese companies look to establish operations to aid growth and capacity in Europe and North America? 

– How can China improve the environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance of its domestic supply chains to comply with international regulations and meet OEMs’ expectations?  

– Sustainable and responsible sourcing of critical raw materials: What does best practice entail and how can supply chain transparency be achieved? 

– Assessing and mitigating the ecological and social impact of lithium and cobalt extraction. 

– Battery recycling and resource efficiency: Strategies for reducing waste and carbon emissions in midstream and downstream processes. 

– What are the effects of international carbon footprint regulations, such as CBAM, on China’s battery supply chain, and what strategies can companies adopt to comply with these requirements? 

– The ESS outlook in China: Key market trends, challenges and opportunities for growth. 

– Policy updates: How is the Chinese government incentivising domestic ESS growth and development? 

– ESS project updates.  

– Unveiling different chemistries and technological advancements in ESS batteries. How will this impact the demand for specific raw materials? 

 – Chinese EV supply and demand forecast: Will high domestic adoption rates continue, or is China’s EV industry set to stall in the short- to medium-term considering China’s recent economic downturn? 

– What stimulus policies will be in place to support China’s EV, automotive and new energy industries? 

– Does China have enough domestic demand to keep up with its upstream oversupply of critical raw materials? – What is next for China’s EV market, and how can battery technologies keep pace with EV innovations? 

In this fast-paced session, industry leaders will present three cutting-edge advancements in extraction, processing, and refining technologies for battery materials. Attendees will discover innovations in direct lithium extraction (DLE), hydrometallurgical processing, and carbon-neutral refining processes.

– Advancements in solid state and semi-solid state battery technology: Exploring the latest breakthroughs in chemistry and materials.  

– The commercial outlook: Timescales to implementation, mass production and adoption. 

– What are the key challenges to establishing a sustainable supply chain for solid-state batteries? 

– Beyond EVs: Alternative applications for solid-state batteries.  

– When is the market expected to recover?

– What are the most effective hedging strategies to manage volatility and price risk in a period dominated by oversupply and weak pricing for battery raw materials?  

– Establishing and implementing a robust price risk management strategy in the battery raw materials sector.