India–US Sign Strategic Pact on Critical Minerals and Rare Earths to Secure High-Tech Supply Chains

New Delhi, May 2026 : India and the United States on Tuesday signed a strategic agreement aimed at deepening cooperation in critical minerals and rare earth elements, key inputs essential for manufacturing semiconductors, electric vehicles, solar panels and advanced defence technologies.

The agreement comes amid rising global concerns over China’s dominant position in the critical minerals sector, which gives Beijing significant influence over global supply chains and the potential to restrict access to essential materials during geopolitical tensions or trade disputes.

The pact was formalised during the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in New Delhi in the presence of External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, alongside foreign ministers from Australia and Japan.

Announcing the development, EAM Jaishankar said India and the US were signing a bilateral framework to strengthen supply chains for mining and processing of critical minerals and rare earths.

“We are today signing a bilateral India-US framework on securing supplies of mining and processing of critical minerals and rare earths. This is something we have also discussed today at the Quad meeting and whether we are doing it bilaterally, or in the Quad format or as a larger gathering of like-minded nations, it is something very timely and critical,” Jaishankar said.

He added that the framework would enhance cooperation across the entire value chain, including exploration, mining, processing, recycling and investment in related sectors, ensuring long-term supply security for both countries’ fast-growing technology and manufacturing ecosystems.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the agreement reflects the shared strategic interests of both nations in protecting their innovation-driven economies from supply chain vulnerabilities and monopolistic control.

He said the partnership was designed to prevent overdependence on single-source suppliers that could use critical materials as a geopolitical leverage tool, not only during conflict but also in peacetime economic competition.

“We are two countries that have strategic interests in ensuring reliable long-term access to critical minerals and supply chains that are important for our innovation economy,” Rubio said, describing the pact as a tangible outcome of deepening US–India strategic ties.

He noted that discussions on the framework had been progressing since February 4, when India participated in the Critical Minerals Forum hosted in Washington, DC, marking an early step in building structured cooperation in this sector.

Rubio also referred to India’s participation in the Pax Silica Declaration, a US-led initiative aimed at developing secure, resilient and trusted global supply chains for artificial intelligence, semiconductors and critical minerals.

The agreement is expected to support diversification of supply chains, encourage joint investments, and reduce dependency risks in sectors that are central to future technologies and clean energy transition.

Officials said the framework aligns with broader Quad priorities of strengthening economic security, enhancing technological cooperation and building resilient supply chains across the Indo-Pacific region.

With this pact, India and the US have signalled a deeper strategic alignment in securing critical inputs that underpin modern industrial and defence systems, while also reinforcing their shared commitment to an open and stable global economic order.

Team Maverick