SANTIAGO – A Chilean court on Thursday suspended the sale of a coveted stake in lithium producer SQM to China's Tianqi Lithium, saying it will consider a lawsuit filed by the Chilean company's controlling shareholders, who oppose the deal. The lawsuit, filed on Wednesday, alleges a previous anti-trust court decision did not give shareholders adequate time to review the agreement between Tianqi and regulators, allowing the Chinese miner to purchase a 24% stake in the world's No. 2 producer of lithium, a metal used to make batteries for electric vehicles.
