Mexico’s foreign minister met with Bolivian officials this week to discuss lithium collaboration. Mexico has been working to nationalize lithium deposits in the country, including in neighboring Sonora.

Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard arrived in Bolivia on Thursday, where he met with high-level officials to discuss a joint strategy to develop the nations’ lithium resources.

The leaders say they want to collaborate not only to mine the mineral, but to process lithium and build lithium batteries. It’s part of a plan set forth by Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador earlier this year. He said he hoped to team up with other Latin American nations to capitalize on the region’s lithium resources.

The president has been working to nationalize the country’s lithium. However, concessions for a major deposit in Sonora are currently controlled by the Chinese company Ganfeng.