So far the only winner in the competition for batteries from electric vehicles is China. Despite the billions invested by the Western economy, China leads the way mining of rare earth elements, in the training of engineers and in the construction of colossal factories. Even in 2030, China will produce twice as many batteries, according to the consulting firm Benchmark Minerals.

Here’s how China controls every stage of lithium battery production and why it will last. Electric cars use six times more rare metals than conventional ones due to batteries, and China decides who gets those metals first and at what price. While China has some reserves of important ingredients on its soil, it has adopted a long-term strategy to ensure stable supplies at low prices. With government help, Chinese companies have bought stakes in mines on five continents.

China controls most of the cobalt mines in the Congo, which contains most of the rare metal. Thus, it controls 41% of the world’s cobalt mines and most of the lithium mines. The world’s reserves of nickel and graphite are much larger, and much fewer batteries are needed. But China has a stable supply of these metals, which gives it an advantage. Its investment in Indonesia will help it control most of its nickel by 2027, according to consulting firm CRU Group. After all, most graphite mining takes place in China.

Western countries also have mines in other countries and are trying to get to China. But they are very reluctant to invest their money in countries with unstable governments or without labor rights. It could take more than 20 years for a new mine to reach full capacity. Most electric vehicles drive on the roads in China, and almost all of them use Chinese-made batteries.

Chinese battery makers such as CATL and BYD have experienced significant growth at the expense of their competitors in Japan and South Korea and have thus become the world’s largest. Today, eight years later, the Biden administration is attempting a similar strategy for battery development in the US. But because it is a sector with huge capital expenditures and low profit margins, Chinese companies have an advantage after years of government subsidies and experience.

According to Heiner Heims, a professor at RWTH Aachen University in Germany, China is building battery factories at almost half the cost of their counterparts in North America and Europe. The main factor is the low labor force and the abundance of equipment manufacturers that exist in China. American investors do not want to invest in electric vehicles. Conventional cars are still profitable, and the incentives that the Biden administration provided to support the electric car industry may disappear with a change in government.

China has spent more than $130 billion on research initiatives, government contracts and consumer subsidies, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies. As CSIS consultant Scott Kennedy emphasizes, “without cooperation with China, it is impossible to succeed in the production of electric vehicles.”