Kyrgyzstan media said the Prime Minister, Akylbek Japarov, had discussed with China's Zhicun Lithium to explore potential lithium exploration, mining, and lithium carbonate processing projects within Kyrgyzstan. These discussions took place during Japarov's official visit to Urumqi, Xinjiang, China, coinciding with the 8th China-Eurasia Expo held from June 26 to 30, 2024.
Zhicun Lithium has laid out four subsidiaries in Xinjiang, aiming to build lithium carbonate production lines in Ruoqiang, Hotan, and Altay, which could achieve over 300,000 tonnes of carbonate-producing capacity if the development follow the investment blueprints. In July 2023, Zhicun started the operation of a 120,000 tonnes of battery-grade lithium carbonate producing project in Ruoqiang, with Phase I targeting at 60,000 tonnes per year.
This April, Zhicun was also in talks with Kazakh Invest for lithium projects in Kazakhstan. Kazakh Invest's Project Director and the company's Vice President have met and discussed the strategic importance of developing the lithium industry in Kazakhstan.
