The price slump of lithium is causing China’s mining of the metal to slow down. The softening demand for electric vehicles (EVs) has led to a decrease in global lithium prices, affecting producers and forcing production cuts and job losses. China, which accounted for a quarter of the world’s lithium output in 2023, is expected to see a significant decline in the mining of lepidolite, a hard rock ore that is expensive for producing lithium. As a result, China’s growth in mined lithium output is projected to decrease, while other regions like South America will continue to grow.