Amid China concerns, India and US sign pact to secure supply of critical minerals

📌 Summary:

• India and the US signed a bilateral Critical Minerals Framework in New Delhi on May 26, 2026 — signed by Jaishankar and Rubio on the sidelines of the Quad Foreign Ministers' meeting
• The pact covers the entire critical-minerals & rare-earth supply chain: mining, processing, recycling and related investments
• Aim: secure reliable, long-term access to inputs (rare earths, lithium, cobalt etc.) vital for EVs, semiconductors, defence systems, phones, missiles, planes
• Counters China's rare-earth export curbs and "single-source monopolies"
• Builds on the Feb 2026 launch of FORGE (Forum on Resource Geostrategic Engagement) in Washington DC; India is an early signatory to Pax Silica
• US has mobilised >$30 billion in letters of interest, investments and loans for critical-mineral supply chains, with multiplier effect on private capital
• Comes amid US-China tensions and a thaw between Washington and Beijing post-Trump–Xi summit

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS2 IR — India-US strategic partnership; GS3 Economy — critical minerals, supply-chain resilience, manufacturing

📝 Prelims Facts:

• Critical Minerals: India has identified 30 critical minerals (Min. of Mines, 2023) — incl. lithium, cobalt, nickel, REEs
• Pax Silica: a US-led plurilateral initiative for critical minerals & technology supply chains
• FORGE: Forum on Resource Geostrategic Engagement, launched February 2026
• China processes >85% of global rare earth output
• India set up KABIL (Khanij Bidesh India Ltd) — JV of NALCO, HCL, MECL — to secure overseas critical mineral assets

🔑 Key Term: Critical Minerals — Minerals essential for the modern economy/strategic sectors and vulnerable to supply disruption (e.g., REEs, lithium, cobalt, gallium, germanium)