By Doina Chiacu
WASHINGTON, April 28 (Reuters) – Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hinted on Friday that China is using slave labor in lithium production, citing Canada’s efforts to ramp up production of the critical metal for lithium batteries. electric vehicles.
Last fall, Canada announced a tougher policy on investment in critical minerals – particularly vis-à-vis dominant producer China – as it strives to bolster its local sourcing, after that the global pandemic has exposed supply chain issues.
Canada has significant sources of lithium, Trudeau said. Yet China has made strategic decisions over the decades that have made it by far the world’s largest producer of lithium, which is used in cellphones and electric vehicles.
“If we’re being honest…lithium produced in Canada will be more expensive because we don’t use slave labor,” Trudeau said.
“Because we elevate environmental responsibility as something we truly expect to be upheld. Because we intend to work in partnership with Indigenous peoples, pay decent wages, expect safety and security standards.”
A representative from the Chinese Embassy in Ottawa did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
(Reporting by Doina Chiacu; Editing in Spanish by Javier López de Lérida)
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