US to challenge China's e-battery leadership

SACRAMENTO: President Joe Biden highlighted his efforts to counter China's dominance of the electric battery market on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila), as he touted domestic efforts to mine and process lithium and rare metals necessary to create the technology that powers cars, electronics, wind turbines and more.

The Democratic president announced his administration is giving $35 million to MP Materials, a company that mines rare earth metals near the Nevada border in Southern California. The funding will boost MP's ability to process the materials domestically for use in US manufacturing.