Last week, Beijing updated its export control catalog to include critical technologies for battery cathode materials and refined lithium extraction, potentially adding new regulatory hurdles for international companies dependent on Chinese advanced material processing and broadening its strategic grip on global supply chains.

In a decision issued today, the U.S. Department of Commerce made a preliminary determination in an anti-dumping (AD) duty case involving imports of processed graphite from China, an input used in battery production.

In a decision issued earlier this week, the U.S. Department of Commerce made a preliminary determination in a countervailing duty (CVD) case involving imports of processed graphite from China, an input used in battery production.

China has filed a request for consultations with Canada at the WTO related to Canada's potential tariffs on batteries and battery parts, semiconductors, solar products, and critical minerals, adding to its existing WTO dispute on Canadian tariffs on Chinese imports.

Earlier this week, the American Active Anode Material Producers, representing U.S. producers of graphite, filed a petition for the imposition of anti-dumping and countervailing duties on U.S. imports of active anode material (i.e. processed graphite) from China.

Following up on a recent decision to impose special surtaxes on Chinese EVs, steel, and aluminum, Canada is now starting a public consultation on similar measures against Chinese products in various "critical manufacturing sectors."

The Chinese battery and solar sectors are under pressure from domestic competition, regulatory tightening, and external scrutiny. Some companies are looking outward, but that option also presents difficulties.