The US administration is interested in finding partners, customers and funding for all lithium exploration projects in Portugal.
According to newspaper Pblico, the interest was recently expressed in Lisbon by the US Deputy Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy and Environment, Jose W. Fernandez, sent by Washington to Portugal and Spain for a series of working meetings with representatives of the governments of the two countries and private sector companies.
The US interest in supporting lithium exploration in Portugal is directly linked to US tensions with China, which dominates the supply of lithium on a global scale.
It is a “cause for concern” in Washington, Fernandez admitted at a meeting with journalists held at the US embassy in Lisbon last week, after a meeting with the Minister of the Economy, Pedro Reis, and Minister of the Presidency, Antnio Leito Amaro.
“The US expresses interest in supporting lithium exploration in Portugal. China is our third largest trading partner,” emphasised the US representative, “but the rules it practices are not the same”.
“US commercial strategy is not to cut ties with China (decoupling) but to diversify supply chains, to reduce exposure to risk,” he explained
https://www.portugalresident.com/us-keen-to-support-lithium-exploration-in-portugal/