Salta Province welcomed executives from Chinese lithium producer Jiuling Lithium, who visited the jurisdiction to evaluate investment opportunities and assess its geological potential for lithium project development.
By Panorama Minero
During their visit, company representatives met with Production and Sustainable Development Minister Ignacio Lupión and Mining Secretary Gustavo Carrizo to exchange views on current lithium market dynamics and the institutional framework supporting long-term investment.
According to officials, the company highlighted factors such as legal certainty, regulatory predictability and institutional stability, elements that have become increasingly relevant in the context of global competition for critical minerals.
International Ranking and Provincial Positioning
Salta’s performance in the 2024 Fraser Institute Survey of Mining Companies was also addressed during the meeting. The Canadian-based institute evaluates policy perception across global mining jurisdictions.
According to the latest report, Salta ranked as Argentina’s top-performing province both in policy perception and overall investment attractiveness. Provincial authorities consider this positioning part of a broader strategy to strengthen Salta’s standing as a reliable mining destination within northern Argentina, one of the country’s most prospective lithium regions.
Jiuling Lithium’s International Expansion Strategy
Jiuling Lithium has established itself in China as a producer of lithium carbonate derived from mica and maintains an expansion strategy aimed at securing supply for the battery industry, particularly in the electric vehicle segment.
In recent years, the company has pursued resource diversification initiatives to expand beyond Asia and mitigate supply chain risks. Within that framework, evaluating opportunities in Argentina, and specifically in Salta, aligns with a broader internationalization strategy focused on securing new sources of lithium supply.
Argentina and Growing Chinese Capital Interest
Jiuling Lithium’s interest adds to that of other Chinese companies with active projects or presence in Argentina’s so-called Lithium Triangle, including Tibet Summit Resources, Ganfeng Lithium, Hanaq and Zijin Mining Group, among others.
With an active international promotion agenda and a regulatory framework aimed at attracting large-scale mining investment, Salta continues to position itself as one of Argentina’s leading hubs for lithium project development.
