Australia’s Lithium Ore Exports Exceeds $1 Billion in June, China Largest Buyer

Lithium batteries displayed in the workshop of a lithium battery manufacturing company in Huaibei, eastern China's Anhui Province, on Nov. 14, 2020. STR/AFP via Getty Images

Australia’s lithium exports hit a record high in June, with China becoming the country’s largest buyer, a new trade export data showed.

Lithium concentrates exports reached $1.163 million (US$810 million) in June, an increase of 1,189 percent compared with the same month last year, according to lithium export data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) on Aug. 4.