Every EV battery in the world needs lithium that's 99.5% pure — but what leaves the mine is a gray rock powder that's only about 1% lithium. The step that turns “dirty rock” into “battery-grade chemicals” is refining. And even though Australia mines more lithium ore than anyone on Earth, China controls roughly 65–70% of the refining. This is the quietest chokepoint in the lithium chain — and the most powerful. In 2025, China drove that power home by locking its refining technology inside its borders.