Australia and Germany ‘deepening’ strategic relationship to ‘ensure’ national security

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock in her first visit to Australia told the ABC that Germany had overhauled its approach to China so as to avoid relying too heavily on it for imports.

The shift in policy means Germany will prioritise dealing directly with democratic nations, such as Australia, on critical minerals exports.

Ms. Baerbock said “Lithium comes from Australia then it’s being exported to China, processed there, and then we import it again...The smartest thing, not only for diversification, but also strengthening ties between democracies, and free markets, would be if we could import the lithium directly from Australia.”