Prime Minister Modi's foreign tour focuses on enhancing cooperation in critical minerals, with key visits to Ghana, Namibia, and Argentina, as India seeks to secure essential resources for its economy
US State Department Deputy Spokesperson Mignon Houston said that Quad countries understand the maritime issues that countries face
Quad foreign ministers unveil minerals initiative amid China concerns as PM Modi begins visits to Argentina, Brazil, Ghana and Namibia to secure strategic resources
In a significant move, the Quad grouping has launched an initiative to ensure the availability of critical minerals under a broader goal to strengthen economic security amid concerns over China's coercive tactics, including price manipulation in the sector. The decision on rolling out the "Quad Critical Minerals Initiative" was announced after a meeting of foreign ministers of the member nations of the grouping in the US capital on Tuesday. A readout of the meeting said the new initiative is an "ambitious expansion" of the Quad partnership to strengthen economic security and collective resilience by collaborating on securing and diversifying critical mineral supply chains. The meeting was attended by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and her Japanese counterpart Takeshi Iwaya. "This new flagship initiative, alongside the high-impact programmes and outcomes the Quad is realising, will enable our four ...
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said India is committed to BRICS as a vital platform for cooperation among emerging economies as he left on a week-long visit to five countries, including Brazil where he will attend the bloc's meeting. "Together, we strive for a more peaceful, equitable, just, democratic and balanced multipolar world order," he said in his departure statement. During the week-long travel, the PM will visit Ghana, Trinidad and Tobago, Argentina, Brazil and Namibia. Ghana will be his first port of call. Modi said that at the invitation of President John Dramani Mahama, he will be there on July 2 and 3. Ghana is a valued partner in the Global South and plays an important role in the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States, he said, adding that he looked forward to talks aimed at further deepening the two countries' historical ties and opening up new windows of cooperation, including in the areas of investment, energy, health, security,
The United States. Australia, India and Japan have agreed to expand their cooperation on maritime security in the Indo-Pacific and further collaborate on supplies of critical minerals and rare earths that are key components of high-tech production. The foreign ministers of the four countries, known as the "Quad", met in Washington on Tuesday as the Trump administration seeks to expand US influence in the Indo-Pacific to compete with a rising China amid tensions with partners over trade and defense issues. In a joint meeting with his three colleagues, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Quad must be a vehicle for action that goes beyond statements of intent and stressed that commerce and trade will be critical to ensuring the group's relevance in the future. To that end, the four announced in a statement the creation of a Quad Critical Minerals Initiative that aims to strengthen economic security and collective resilience by collaborating on securing and diversifying critical ...
India's production of key minerals and metals like iron ore, bauxite, and copper grew steadily in April-May FY26, signalling robust industrial demand
The government, industry and academia are working to resolve the issues concerning rare earth magnets, which are used in the automobile sector and other devices, a senior Meity official said on Friday. The technology exists to make rare earth magnets but to produce them at a commercially competitive rate is a challenge, Ministry of Electronics and IT, Additional Secretary, Amitesh Sinha said. Speaking on the sidelines of the Tec-Verse event showcasing PSU technology research, Sinha said that to solve the issues concerning rare earth, all three partners - government, industry and academia - are doing their work. "Technology is there, but we have to see how commercially we can do it at a competitive price. So that is the main challenge. The government will surely work because these things are now becoming strategic and important," Sinha said. The Centre for Materials for Electronics Technology (C-MET), a research unit under Meity, at the event signed a transfer of technology agreemen
The new Chinese restrictions, effective from April 4, require special export licenses for certain specific rare earth elements and their related magnetic products
In the world of cutting-edge technology, from electric vehicles to fighter jets, there's a hidden engine powering it all: rare earth elements.
This is part of India's national critical minerals mission (NCMM), which aims to extend support to Indian public and private sector companies for mapping and exploration of critical mineral assets
Since April 2025, China's rare earth export curbs have caused global magnet shortages. At least five major Indian firms have informally shown interest in producing rare earth materials locally
Export controls launched on April 4 covered not just seven individual rare earths, but also magnets that contain even tiny amounts of them
In the first major US-China trade dispute of Trump's second term, Beijing was able to use its control of rare earths to force Washington to a deal last week
India is considering a short-term revamp of its rare earth agreement with Japan to secure magnet supply as China disruptions highlight gaps in domestic sourcing
Many have yet to qualify for PLI disbursements and now face the risk of losing business to Chinese suppliers, three of the people said
MEA says India is in touch with China over rare earth export curbs imposed in April and seeks predictable supply chains aligned with international practices
Supply-chain disruptions related to rare earth magnets from China are another cause of geopolitical anxiety for the government at this point
Trump and Xi held a 90-minute call on Thursday that saw the two agree to defuse growing tensions spurred by concerns over the flow of critical minerals needed by American firms
India will amend the Mines and Minerals Act 2023 to permit use of ₹5,600 crore for overseas critical mineral exploration and introduce a tailings policy to support extraction