China's key economic planning department has suspended a diplomatic channel for economic discussions with Australia, although the impact could be minimal.
An array of companies, from blue chip miners to SMEs, is pursuing downstream processing of WA's battery minerals, despite the sharp downturn in the lithium market.
At least $1.6 billion of equity has been raised by WA-linked critical minerals hopefuls in the past five years, but achieving consistent returns is another battle.