In the global new energy landscape, the control of lithium battery materials is crucial. Through technological innovation and market strategy, Japan once occupied an absolute monopoly position in the field of lithium battery materials. Since 2002, China has been catching up step by step, and by 2017, China has not only caught up, but also surpassed Japan in lithium battery production to become the global leader.
At that time, although China had abundant lithium resources, it lacked corresponding technology and industrial chain support. Until 2005, China's lithium resource extraction has surpassed Japan's, but due to the immaturity of technology and industrial chain, it still needs to rely on Japan's imported materials. Faced with Japan's technology monopoly and high-price sales strategy, China's new energy industry seems to be in trouble.
China began to increase investment and R&D in the field of lithium battery materials. By 2013, China had independently developed lithium iron phosphate and lithium iron phosphate ternary materials, and domestic production facilities had reached the international advanced level. The decline in prices has led to a rapid increase in China's lithium battery production, and in 2015, China's lithium battery production has surpassed the United States to become the largest producer of lithium batteries after Japan.
Japanese companies are aware of China's rapid rise and are trying to maintain their advantage by continuing to raise material prices. However, the development of China's lithium battery industry has been unstoppable, especially in 2017, China's total lithium battery production surpassed Japan in one fell swoop, becoming the world's largest lithium battery producer.
In 2018, China successfully developed lithium manganese oxide materials that meet industry standards, further breaking Japan's technological monopoly on high-end lithium battery materials. In addition, China has developed materials such as lithium cobalt oxide, and these technological breakthroughs have significantly improved the performance and longevity of batteries, and significantly reduced production costs.
This series of technological innovation and production expansion has allowed China to gain a firm foothold in the global new energy field, and has gradually changed the global supply and demand pattern of lithium battery materials. While Japan has tried to maintain its leading position in the global lithium battery materials market through technology and market strategies, China's rapid rise has disrupted this situation.
In this fierce competition, China has not only ensured the supply chain security of the new energy industry through continuous technological innovation and industrial upgrading, but also promoted the diversified development of global lithium battery technology. This contest between China and Japan in the field of lithium battery materials undoubtedly shows the importance of technological innovation and market coping strategies in global economic competition.
Today, China has established a relatively complete industrial chain and technical system in the field of R&D and production of lithium battery materials, and has become a force to be reckoned with in the global new energy field. This also brings more cooperation opportunities and development possibilities for the global lithium battery market.