Nonferrous Metals(Extractive Metallurgy)

The global shift towards a green and low-carbon energy infrastructure has catalyzed the rapid expansion of the new energy sector, resulting in a sustained increase in demand for critical metal resources, notably lithium, cobalt, and nickel. These metals are indispensable components in electric vehicles, energy storage systems, and renewable power generation, among other applications. Consequently, the security of their supply and the architecture of their global trade networks have emerged as significant factors influencing national energy strategies and economic stability. However, the geopolitical landscape of these resources is complex; their distribution is highly uneven, and a pronounced geographical disconnect exists between sites of production and consumption. This disparity, compounded by volatile prices and intricate trade dynamics, exposes the supply chain to multifaceted risks, including geopolitical tensions and structural dependencies. This context underscores the critical need for a comprehensive analysis of key supplying nations, the structure of trade relationships, and national competitiveness within the global flow of these essential commodities. To address these questions, this study constructes a series of global trade supply networks for lithium, cobalt, and nickel, utilizing detailed product-level trade data sourced from the UN Comtrade database for the decade spanning 2013 to 2022. Within these complex network models, individual countries were represented as nodes, bilateral trade relationships as edges, and the total trade volume was assigned as the weight for each edge. The analysis employs a multifaceted suite of metrics to evaluate the system from several angles: network density and modularity were used to assess overall connectivity and community formation; node strength(weighted degree) identifies major importers and exporters; betweenness centrality quantified a country's role as an intermediary; and the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index(HHI) measures the concentration of a country's trade partnerships, indicating potential vulnerability. The following conclusions are drawn: From 2013 to 2022, the trade relations between countries in lithium and nickel resources have become denser, while cobalt resource trade is the most active and has the highest degree of trade grouping. The trade relations between countries are relatively stable and close, and trade cooperation is more mature. Japan and South Korea are identified as typical lithiumimporting countries, while Chile and Argentina are recognized as typical lithium-exporting countries. China and New Caledonia are found to be prominent in nickel trade, serving as major importers and exporters, respectively. However, the characteristics of typical lithium-trading countries are not as distinct. Significant trade relationships are observed in lithium exports, particularly between Ireland and Indonesia, as well as between Zimbabwe and the Czech Republic. In the cobalt trade, the most notable export relationships exist between the Democratic Republic of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and China, and between Sweden and Denmark. China also emerges as the largest export partner for nickel-exporting countries. Meanwhile, the most significant import relationships for nickel are identified between China and Indonesia, and between India and Indonesia. Import-oriented countries for nickel generally demonstrate stronger trade competitiveness. In contrast, lithium-importing countries exhibite relatively weaker competitiveness, primarily due to limitations in intermediary control capacity and trade structure. In conclusion, by integrating complex network theory with a multi-dimensional indicator framework, this research delineates the structural evolution and key characteristics of the global trade system for new energy metals. It successfully identifies critical nations and pinpoints specific competitiveness shortcomings. These insights offer valuable empirical support for policymakers seeking to optimize resource import structures, enhance supply chain resilience, and formulate strategic industrial policies. The study recommends that importing countries actively pursue diversification of their supply channels to mitigate single-source dependency, while simultaneously engaging in deeper international collaboration to improve their intermediary control and informational capacity within the global trade network.