New Delhi

India and the United States on Tuesday formalised a major framework for cooperation on critical minerals and rare earths, amid increasing global concerns over China’s dominance in the supply and export of strategic resources essential for advanced technologies and manufacturing.

The agreement on securing supplies, mining and processing of critical minerals was signed on the sidelines of the Quad foreign ministers’ meeting in New Delhi.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar described the pact as “timely and critical” while addressing the media alongside US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

“This framework seeks to deepen cooperation across the entire critical minerals and rare earth supply chain, including mining, processing, recycling and investment,” Jaishankar said.

He added that the initiative would help build resilient and diversified supply chains, facilitate financing for projects and improve management of critical minerals and rare earth resources.

Jaishankar said the agreement reflected the growing strategic partnership between India and the US at a time when countries are seeking to reduce vulnerabilities in global supply chains.

Rubio also highlighted the importance of the partnership, saying both nations shared a strategic interest in ensuring long-term and reliable access to critical minerals needed for innovation-driven economies.

“We cannot afford to leave foundational materials for these industries vulnerable to a single-source monopoly,” Rubio said, in an apparent reference to China’s dominant role in rare earth processing and exports.

The agreement comes amid rising global concerns over export controls imposed by China on rare earth elements and strategic metals that are vital for sectors such as semiconductors, electric vehicles, clean energy, defence systems and artificial intelligence.

Rubio also referred to the US-backed Pax Silica initiative, launched to create resilient and innovation-focused supply chains for critical minerals and AI-related technologies.

He noted that groundwork for the current framework had been laid during the Critical Minerals Forum hosted in Washington DC earlier this year, which India attended.

READ MORE: Gurugram’s ‘Bulldozer Man’ RS Batth joins Muslims in Eid cleanliness drive

The India-US pact is also seen as part of broader efforts by Quad nations — India, the US, Japan and Australia — to strengthen economic resilience and reduce strategic dependence on China-dominated supply chains in the Indo-Pacific region.