India and the US have signed a critical minerals and rare earths framework to secure supply chains and reduce vulnerability to monopolies, in a move against China's dominance in the sector.
The framework, signed by external affairs minister S Jaishankar and US secretary of state Marco Rubio, aims to deepen bilateral cooperation across the critical minerals supply chain, from mining and processing to recycling and related investments.
It will allow India and the US to become part of international efforts to protect sensitive supply chains from coercive market practices and reduce collective vulnerability to single-source monopolies.
The move comes months after high technology industries in India and the US were hit by China's curbs last year on the export of critical minerals.
China has a dominant grip on materials powering the global energy transition, controlling most of the refining capacity for graphite, manganese, cobalt and lithium.
The US government is mobilising more than $30 billion to secure critical mineral supply chains, including letters of interest, investments, loans and other support in partnership with the private sector.
