Mexico Joins U.S. Critical Minerals Security Plan Amid Lithium Concerns

Mexico City, Mexico — Mexico has formally joined a United States-led security framework for critical minerals, positioning the country as a potential supplier of materials like lithium for American industrial and military needs, reducing US dependence on China.

Jamieson Greer, the US Trade Representative, announced the corresponding “work plan,” which will take sixty days to define. He stated it “demonstrates the shared commitment of the United States and Mexico to address global market distortions that have left North American supply chains vulnerable to disruptions.” The plan is linked to the renegotiation of the USMCA trade agreement.

Marcelo Ebrard, Mexico’s foreign minister, said in a statement: “We want to ensure the supply of important minerals to our industry. As we are highly integrated with the United States, we must support each other… All cooperation work will be carried out within the framework of our sovereignty and with respect for our Constitution.”

Forbes explained that “so-called critical minerals, such as aluminum, lithium, or zinc, are essential inputs for manufacturing semiconductors, advanced batteries, and a wide range of technological products that Washington considers key for the economy and national security.”

Thus, lithium, among other materials, could become tied to the vision and national security needs of the United States. Luis Rosendo Gutiérrez, Mexico’s undersecretary of economy, noted that the US has not specifically mentioned lithium in this plan, but the minerals to be included are still being defined. The Mexican congress, with an absolute majority from Morena and its allies, must still approve the plan.

The article also references the case of Dámaso López Serrano, known as “El Mini Lic,” the son of Dámaso López Núñez (“El Licenciado”), a former high-ranking subordinate of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán. López Serrano surrendered to US authorities in 2017, admitted to drug trafficking, was later placed under supervised release, and was recently sentenced to five years in prison for returning to the drug trade.

López Serrano has been judicially implicated in Mexico as the intellectual author of the 2017 murder of Mexican journalist Javier Valdez, a correspondent for La Jornada in Sinaloa and reporter for the weekly Ríodoce. With Alejandro Gertz Manero as head of the Federal Prosecutor’s Office, it was asserted that a formal extradition request for López Serrano to face charges for Valdez’s murder was made in 2020. However, Griselda Triana, the journalist’s widow, has never received confirmation or proof that such a request was actually made or its results.

Given that Mexico has extradited or expelled a large number of Mexican nationals to US authorities, the article suggests President Claudia Sheinbaum should insist on López Serrano’s return to Mexico to at least face charges related to the murder of Javier Valdez.