Outperforming spectacularly and rising rapidly—the new lithium-salt star, Sinomine Resource Group: Could it be the next Ganfeng Lithium?

Since downstream and midstream players are hurt by rising lithium-salt prices, lithium-salt producers should—logically—benefit from such price increases. Clearly, there is a certain expectation gap here. Why has the market overlooked this expectation gap for lithium-salt companies? Mainly for two reasons: First, the market views lithium-salt and lithium-ore companies as cyclical stocks that have yet to break free from their cyclical nature—and believes we are currently at the peak of the cycle, with downward pressure looming on both earnings and valuations. Second, the market assumes that surging lithium-salt prices will raise overall vehicle manufacturing costs, thereby suppressing demand for new energy vehicles downstream—and ultimately feeding back to weaken demand for lithium salts. Yet, based on current supply-demand fundamentals across the industry, a sharp, rapid decline in lithium-salt prices is unrealistic in the near term; the earliest such a correction might occur is next year. Thus, lithium-salt producers do present an expectation-gap opportunity. We’ve previously covered Ganfeng Lithium—today, let’s spotlight an emerging industry star. That star is Sinomine Resource Group—one of the best-performing companies over the past two years! The New Lithium-Salt Star What does Sinomine Resource Group do? The company originated as Beijing Kaifuyuan Geological Exploration Co., Ltd., founded in 1999, with shareholders including the Jilin Provincial Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources, Henan Provincial Department of Geology and Mineral Resources, and Northwest Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources—among other provincial geological exploration bureaus. It possesses formidable expertise in mineral exploration. In 2014, it became China’s first geological exploration service enterprise listed on the A-share market. Today, it is a leading overseas geological exploration enterprise. Exploration involves locating mineral resources—the very front end of the mining industry. It is entirely natural for exploration firms to expand downstream into nonferrous metal smelting—a move that significantly broadens their growth potential. Sinomine followed precisely this path—by acquiring aggressively. In 2018, the company acquired Dongpeng New Materials, entering the light rare-metal raw material processing and R&D business, and deepening its presence in downstream lithium-, cesium-, and rubidium-salt deep-processing for new-energy and new-materials sectors. In 2019, it acquired 100% of Cabot’s Special Fluids Division. Cabot owns the world’s largest cesium-bearing pollucite mine, alongside approximately 1.28 million tonnes of undeveloped spodumene ore resources. In 2022, the company acquired another mineral asset—Bikita Lithium Mine in Zimbabwe. The Bikita deposit hosts a total estimated lithium resource of 29.414 million tonnes of ore. Following these acquisitions, Sinomine now controls two of only two global cesium-resource mines: Canada’s Tanco Mine and Zimbabwe’s Bikita Mine; operates two major production bases—in Winnipeg, Canada, and Xinyu City, Jiangxi Province, China; and maintains cesium formate recycling facilities in Aberdeen, UK, and Bergen, Norway. As such, it has become the world’s leading producer of cesium and rubidium salts—and holds pricing power. Cesium possesses unique physical and chemical properties—including low melting point (28.4°C), softness, malleability, excellent optoelectronic characteristics, and high chemical reactivity—making it widely applicable across defense and military industries, aerospace, telecommunications, new-energy sectors, specialty glass, catalysts, and even biochemistry and pharmaceuticals—for example, in night-vision imaging, ion-propulsion engines, magnetohydrodynamic power generation materials, and sleeping pills.

Sinomine Resource Group—the global leader in cesium and rubidium.

Sinomine Construction’s predecessor was Beijing Kaifuyuan Geological Exploration Co., Ltd., established on June 2, 1999. On January 31, 2008, Sinomine Construction’s shareholders’ meeting resolved to convert the limited liability company into a joint-stock company. In 2014, the company listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, becoming the first geological exploration enterprise on China’s A-share market. In 2018, the company acquired Jiangxi Dongpeng New Materials, transforming itself into a specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative “Little Giant” enterprise operating in the cesium-rubidium-salt and lithium-salt sectors. Dongpeng New Materials is a domestically advanced industrial platform for high-purity lithium, rubidium, and cesium powder production. It has since evolved into a major domestic supplier of lithium-battery materials and a leading domestic producer and supplier of cesium and rubidium salts. Through the acquisition of Dongpeng New Materials, the company successfully added a rare light-metal business segment—including lithium fluoride, cesium salts, and rubidium salts. Moreover, the company further strengthened its lithium-salt business: its 15,000-ton-per-year monohydrate lithium hydroxide and 10,000-ton-per-year battery-grade lithium carbonate production lines were completed and successfully ignited for trial production on August 19, 2021. By October, part of its battery-grade lithium hydroxide products had already entered commercial sales—demonstrating high quality and stable performance—and full-capacity operation was achieved in December. On September 22, the company issued an announcement stating that, per the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology’s “Notice on Publishing the List of Third Batch of Specialized, Refined, Distinctive, and Innovative ‘Little Giant’ Enterprises,” its wholly owned subsidiary Jiangxi Dongpeng New Materials Co., Ltd. had been awarded the national title of “Specialized, Refined, Distinctive, and Innovative ‘Little Giant’ Enterprise.” This inclusion in the “Little Giant” list signifies official recognition and affirmation—by government authorities and clients alike—of the company’s technological capabilities, product quality, comprehensive strength, and future development prospects. It will help enhance the company’s brand visibility and support its continued innovative development, exerting a positive impact on its overall business growth. Building upon its existing businesses and rare light-metal operations, the company acquired 100% of Cabot’s Special Fluids Division (CSF) in 2019. This acquisition secured access to a vast cesium-bearing pollucite mine and abundant lithium resources—bolstering upstream cesium-resource development, completing the entire cesium-salt industrial chain, and reinforcing the company’s globally leading position in the cesium-salt business. Cabot is a globally leading specialty chemicals and high-performance materials company listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Its Special Fluids Division is a wholly owned subsidiary. The division’s business spans the entire cesium value chain—from exploration and mining to processing, fine chemical manufacturing, and end-market applications—accumulating extensive operational, managerial, and customer resources in the cesium industry, along with rich cesium-resource reserves. Cabot’s Special Fluids Division comprises three main entities: Tanco, CSF Inc., and CSF Limited. Tanco handles mining operations in Canada; CSF Inc. manages fine-chemical operations in the United States; and CSF Limited oversees oilfield services (OFS) in the United Kingdom.

Fifth Third Bancorp Increases Stake in Cabot Corporation

Jul 20, 2026

Fifth Third Bancorp increased its Cabot Corporation stake by 312.5% to 49,248 shares worth $3.7 million, following strong Q2 earnings and a dividend announcement.

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