I believe CATL WILL be involved with Tesla in their Chinese based factory as China will not let a Japanese battery maker muscle in on their home turf (aka Panasonic).
I believe CATL will be trying to supply everyone, somehow, somewhere on any scale. The only way to secure global dominance is to:
A: have the best product, or
B: have the best prices and supply chain.
I would say they fit into 'B' presently.
'Need to understand that DRC lithium is a separate marker with fewer prospective off takers than you think due to the levels of risk inc PR risk'
..Definitely just an opinion...you would be hard pressed to find a shred of evidence to back that one up. Only the inner circle would know the answer to this one for now...
I do agree with you that Telsa won't be involved...other than being a customer of CATL for their china based factory.