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Beneath the shimmering salt lakes of the Tibetan Plateau lies a resource China covets: lithium, the “white gold” powering the global electric vehicle revolution. In 2025, China began large-scale production from two major lithium mines in Tibet, including a ¥4.5 billion project in Gerze County and another in Golmud, Qinghai Province—both part of the broader Tibetan cultural and ecological landscape. But this mineral boom is not just about batteries. It is about power, control, and the quiet erosion of Tibetan autonomy under the guise of progress.
At first glance, the developments appear impressive. High-speed railways now slice through the rugged terrain of places like Aba, bringing in tourists and goods at unprecedented speed. New hotels, cafés, and restaurants bloom like alpine flowers in towns once defined by prayer flags and yak herders. But this infrastructure is not neutral. It is a scaffold for surveillance,...
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