According to the Wall Street Journal, over the past few years, the West has been trying to break China's control over key minerals for defense and green industries, but after exhausting all options, Chinese companies' dominance in the relevant fields has increased rather than decreased. China still has an overwhelming competitive advantage in nickel, lithium and cobalt ores needed for electric vehicle-related industries. China's share of the domestic and overseas lithium mining market has increased to 35% this year, up from 18% in 2018, according to data. In the case of nickel, which is needed for electric car batteries, Chinese companies' nickel processing plants are building new facilities and mining large quantities, while Swiss and British companies' plants and mines have suffered setbacks due to funding issues. In the case of lithium, which is used in EV batteries, lithium production is surging in China and sub-Saharan Africa, while lithium projects in the U.S. and Australia have been delayed or suspended.