China erwägt Kooperation mit Indien bei Lithium-Ionen-Batterien

SS: A seemingly insignificant piece of news reported by Reuters on 24 June 2024 is creating waves in the Chinese internet. The report claims that an Indian battery maker, Amara Raja Energy and Mobility, has signed a licensing agreement with a unit of China-based Gotion High Tech Co to produce lithium-ion batteries in India. South Asian Research Newsletter ( 南亚研究通讯), a Weibo account, run by Mao Keji, a prominent South Asia researcher, associated with China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) reported the development as Chinese battery giant Gotion High-Tech “transferring lithium-ion battery technology to Indian companies”. This sparked heated discussions in the Chinese internet, where public opinion bitterly opposed the move. The development seemed to have touched a raw nerve among many in China on the grounds that 1) lithium batteries, one of China’s new three export pillars, are seen as typical representative of China’s industrial upgrading; thus, many want the government to strictly control the core technology and not let it get transferred to foreign countries, least of all to India; 2) the news of “technology transfer” has intensified concerns over “more industrial chains withdrawing from China”, under a perceived “US-Europe conspiracy against China”; 3) the Chinese strategic community has already been fuming over what is perceived as India’s particularly tough stance against Chinese investments in the past few years. India must take a closer look at China’s internal debates and discussions on the issue of China-India collaboration in strategic industries or the industries of the future, so that any possible cooperation in the future can be made truly win-win.