Within the framework of the International Mining Fair (Expomin), the president of Chile, Gabriel Boric, faced criticism from various sectors of the presentation of the National Lithium Strategy. In his presentation, the president called on private companies to have confidence in the State, assuring that certainties will be delivered to investors.
In addition, he announced that he has instructed economic ministers to organize meetings in order to invite stakeholders to understand the national lithium strategy. The president assured that “we are opening new possibilities for investors to explore new paths; go from extracting lithium and selling it, to producing lithium carbonate or hydroxide of ever better quality”.
He indicated that “we have launched the National Lithium Strategy and I have observed several of you and I am attentive to the various reactions to the announcement. And I understand that due to the strategic nature of this policy and its scope and relevance for the economy, this could not have been otherwise. The easiest thing was to do nothing, leave everything as it is and avoid problems, but that is not the way to govern, you have to face the challenges head-on, convene and dialogue”.
Trust in collaboration with private
Boric explained that the proposal pursues a single purpose: “Generate more well-being for Chile, in this there is no single recipe, we propose a roadmap, to develop the lithium industry with an important participation of the State in close collaboration with the private sector , principles that are not contradictory”.
Boric added that lithium today belongs to all Chileans, and I am convinced that with the leadership of the State, added to the capacities of the private sector, we will be able to develop new projects and expand our production in the short term, and place Chile at the forefront and be the first producer worldwide”.
He said that “it would be absurd to deny it, but there are also those who have raised objections and observations to what has been raised.”
He even made reference to the helmsman of the UDI, Javier Macaya, pointing out that “a political leader with whom we do not share ideas, but we do share a love for Chile, whom I respect, said that there was a contradiction with what he expressed in Enade and then in the presentation of the National Lithium Strategy that same Thursday. And he made a comparison with former presidents, he said that you cannot speak in the morning like Lagos and at night like Allende, which would be contradictory ”.
The Chilean president pointed out: “I tell Javier and those who express their doubts and observations regarding this that, first of all, I do not claim or aspire to become either Ricardo Lagos or Salvador Allende, but to learn from the experience of my country and of all those who preceded me in the good and bad. But my aspiration is not to replicate a model that has already passed, my aspiration is to be the president that unites all Chileans behind a country vision that we can share.
For the president, today new possibilities are opening up for investors to explore new ways to go from extracting lithium and selling it, to producing lithium carbonate or hydroxide, improving production techniques, generating studies and technology transfer and, in the medium term, energy storage batteries”.
