Bolivia is facing mounting public backlash over contracts signed with Chinese and Russian companies late last year to exploit its vast lithium reserves, with community groups arguing the agreements offer no real benefits to locals.
The controversy led the Bolivian Chamber of Deputies to suspend parliamentary discussions on the deals in February, pending “a thorough information-sharing process with civil society is completed.”
The contracts, worth roughly $2 billion, include a $970-million deal signed last September with Russia’s Uranium One Group (UOG) and a $1-billion agreement with Chinese firms CBC and Citic Guoan Group. Both aim to build lithium processing plants capable of producing tens of thousands of tonnes per year.
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