Graphite has become the latest resource to cause trade tensions between the US and China, with Washington putting pressure on EV and battery makers to build a new non-Chinese supply chain for graphite anodes, a crucial component in electric vehicle batteries.

The US trade representative has announced that 25 per cent tariffs on natural and synthetic graphite anodes from China will be applied from this month, despite Chinese production accounting for 97 per cent of global anode output after years of under-investment in the material by the west.

The move follows the announcement in May of US tariffs of 25 per cent, due to kick in from 2026, on natural graphite — a form of carbon — processed in China.

Read the article.