"In the global competition of the 21st century, it is not enough to simply transport raw materials away - without consideration for the environment, without reasonable working conditions, without creating value locally," said Scholz at the German-Chilean Economic Forum in Santiago de Chile on Monday, according to the speech transcript. The main aim is to refine the light metal, which is important for high-tech products, in Chile as well. The background to this is that China has been importing large quantities of the raw material lithium from all over the world and then exporting it again as a refined product.

Scholz referred to the necessary environmental and human rights standards, sustainable mining and German assistance in training skilled workers. "After all, this is the prerequisite for ensuring that raw materials can not only be mined here in Chile, but also processed," he emphasized.

Both governments renewed the raw materials partnership. The supply of lithium, which is needed for batteries, for example, or copper, was also a topic of his previous visit to Argentina. "Germany and Europe have the greatest interest in diversifying our supply relationships," emphasized the Chancellor with a view to China's dependencies. Chile is a "desired partner" for Germany.

Scholz also referred to the cooperation on climate-neutral drives and referred to a cooperation in the south of Chile. Siemens Energy and Porsche are involved in the first commercial plant for the production of e-fuels north of Puenta Arenas. E-fuels are synthetic fuels that are produced exclusively using renewable energies. The German government is supporting the project. A new Chilean-German business council is to promote investment in key sectors such as renewable energies, green hydrogen, the chemical industry, transportation and logistics in the future.

(Report by Andreas Rinke and Sarah Marsh; edited by Hans Busemann. If you have any questions, please contact our editorial team at berlin.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com)