China Reaffirms Support for Private Lithium Investments in Bolivia and Respects Country’s Sovereignty
Photo: Luis Arce on Facebook.
Amid Bolivia’s ongoing legislative debate over lithium exploitation contracts, Chinese Ambassador to La Paz, Wang Liang, reaffirmed his country’s commitment to respecting Bolivia’s sovereignty and emphasized the importance of strengthening economic ties through private investment.
In an interview with Radio Fides, Wang clarified that China would not intervene in domestic political or legislative matters. His comments refer specifically to stalled legislative approvals of contracts between Bolivia’s state-owned company Yacimientos de Litio Bolivianos (YLB) and various Chinese firms.
“The legislative conflict is an internal matter. We maintain a clear position of mutual respect,” said Wang. At the same time, he confirmed that China continues to encourage its companies to invest in Bolivia, not only in lithium, but also in sectors such as energy, infrastructure, agriculture, and telecommunications.
The ambassador noted that the companies involved are private entities operating under international market principles and are solely responsible for their decisions. “The final decision on investments belongs to each company. If they have signed contracts with YLB, it is their responsibility,” he added.
Wang emphasized that the broader bilateral cooperation framework will continue to develop through “friendly dialogue and mutual respect,” principles that have defined the strategic partnership between China and Bolivia.
His remarks come at a time of increased scrutiny of foreign involvement in Bolivia’s lithium sector, seen globally as a strategic resource for energy transition. Several projects involving Chinese firms have sparked debate within Bolivia’s Plurinational Legislative Assembly, where some contracts remain unratified.
* Original text in Spanish. Translated by Large Language Model (LLM) technology.
Main Source:
China respalda inversiones privadas en litio y considera el conflicto legislativo en Bolivia un asunto interno – Radio Fides
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