The chinese tried to corner the market on rare earths. but the the resulting high price of rare earths caused a number of mines to open around the world. so the chinese share of the rare earth market has shrunk in recent years. and will continue to do so.
There is a limited supply of the stuff. No amount of digging can change that.
Besides, using batteries that are charged from a separate source is not a creation of energy. Petroleum IS a SOURCE of energy. Batteries are a means to transfer energy in a sort of container. That source of energy is most certainly NOT the lithium.