Zimbabwean independent analysis

Argues that Zimbabwe's requirement for domestic processing has made it a site for Chinese supply-chain 'near-sourcing' rather than genuine African industrialisation; Chinese firms operating in Zimbabwe still ship intermediate products (lithium sulphate) to China for final battery-material processing, preserving Chinese control over the cathode-precursor supply chain.

“Zimbabwe's lithium gamble risks reordering the Chinese supply chain without substantially increasing African industrial control.”