Days after securing a commerce deal, India and the US appear to be shifting ahead collectively on one more avenue – the Important Minerals Ministerial, aimed toward countering China’s international dominance. Exterior Affairs Minister S Jaishankar attended the essential minerals summit the place India was amongst 54 international locations hosted by the Trump administration.
The summit was convened by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US vice-president JD Vance additionally outlined plans for the brand new buying and selling zone. “Over time, our purpose inside that zone is to create various facilities of manufacturing, steady funding circumstances and provide chains which might be resistant to the type of exterior disruptions we have now already talked about,” Vance mentioned.
Throughout a media interplay later, Jaishankar mentioned that the convention was the first purpose behind his US go to. He additionally mentioned that India was supporting the Discussion board on Useful resource, Geostrategic Engagement (FORGE), an initiative that was unveiled on the essential minerals summit.
“The dialogue was excellent, essential minerals is a vital topic, the US has been associate for some years,” Jaishankar was quoted as saying by information company ANI.
He additionally addressed the summit in Washington DC throughout which he highlighted the dangers of extreme focus and the significance of de-risking provide chains via worldwide cooperation.
What’s the essential mineral buying and selling bloc?
The 2026 Important Minerals Ministerial is a Trump admistration intiative aimed to reshape the worldwide marketplace for essential minerals and uncommon earths, an space the place China at present finds huge dominance.
China leads the manufacturing of 30 minerals designated as essential by the US Geological Survey and accounts for about 70% of worldwide uncommon earth mining and over 90% of processing capability.
“Important minerals and uncommon earths are important for our most superior applied sciences and can solely turn out to be extra essential as AI, robotics, batteries, and autonomous gadgets remodel our economies,” the US state division mentioned in a launch.
By way of this bloc, the US and its associate international locations whose representatives have been hosted on the essential minerals summit would try and construct safe and resilient essential mineral provide chains.
India’s newest transfer on uncommon earths
The Trump administration’s transfer comes days after India introduced plans to offer a enhance to its authorities’s uncommon earths scheme. Throughout the Union Funds 2026-27 presentation on February 1, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman mentioned that the federal government would assist mineral-rich states like Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Odisha to develop devoted uncommon earth corridors.
She additionally introduced the Indian Semiconductor Mission 2.0, aimed toward increasing the nation’s semiconductor mission and provides China’s aggressive semiconductor business a troublesome combat and break its monopoly.
At the same time as Jaishankar addressed ministeral assembly within the US, he highlighted India’s efforts within the essential minerals area via initiatives together with Nationwide Important Minerals Mission and uncommon rarth corridors.
India’s backing of the US’s newest initiative to counter China’s international dominance on essential minerals additionally assumes significance as a result of it comes days after New Delhi and Washington sealed a commerce deal. As a part of the settlement, the present US tariffs on Indian imports have been lower right down to 18% from 50%.
