ZIMBABWE has awarded export quotas for lithium concentrates to two Chinese mining companies, said Reuters citing state media reported on Monday. The awards come two months after the country suspended exports of the battery material.
Chengxin Lithium and Sinomine Resource, both of which operate lithium mining projects in Zimbabwe, received the allocations, according to China Securities Journal. Shares in Chengxin Lithium hit their 10% daily trading limit in Shenzhen on Monday, while Sinomine Resource closed 6.6% higher, said Reuters.
Zimbabwean authorities suspended all raw mineral and lithium concentrate exports in February, citing alleged malpractices and leakages. Earlier this month, the government said it would introduce quotas and require greater in-country processing as conditions for resuming exports.
Chengxin Lithium said its annual lithium concentrate production capacity in Zimbabwe was approximately 290,000 tons, and that the quota received was sufficient to meet its operational requirements. Sinomine Resource said it had been allocated 200,000 tons, roughly equivalent to its monthly output in the country.
Zimbabwe exported 1.128 million tons of lithium-bearing spodumene concentrate to China in 2025, accounting for about 15% of China’s lithium concentrate imports for the year.
Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt, another significant player in Zimbabwe’s lithium sector, said it had not received any notification from the Zimbabwean government regarding export quotas, the report said.
Zimbabwe is Africa’s largest lithium producer, and the export suspension had raised concerns among Chinese battery supply chain companies dependent on Zimbabwean feedstock, said Reuters.
