CATL and Jianlong Group Sign Strategic Cooperation Agreement

On April 11, the High-Level Forum on Intelligent Electric Vehicle Development (2026) was held. The "15th Five-Year Plan" period is the decisive phase for China to transform from a major automotive country into an automotive powerhouse. NEVs are expected to undertake the national mission of building a manufacturing powerhouse, a science and technology powerhouse, a transportation powerhouse, and achieving the "dual carbon" goals. By 2030, NEVs will become the absolute mainstream of the automotive market, with the penetration rate in China expected to exceed 70%. The goal of building China into a NEV powerhouse is expected to be achieved ahead of schedule by the end of the "15th Five-Year Plan" period.

India's Lloyds Metals and Energy Limited (LMEL) formed a joint venture with the US-based Virtus Group earlier this month to acquire CHEMAF, a mining company in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and plans to bring its share of cobalt resources from the Congo mines back to India. As the joint venture includes a US partner, the specific allocation ratio will be determined in accordance with the intergovernmental agreement between India and the United States. B Prabhakaran, Managing Director of LMEL, stated that the mines are expected to start production within the current fiscal year, with an initial planned annual output of 20,000 tonnes of cobalt and 60,000 tonnes of copper.