The framework was announced in the presence of External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, underscoring the expanding strategic partnership between the two countries in securing long-term access to essential resources powering modern industries and innovation economies.
Calling the agreement “something very timely and critical,” Mr. Jaishankar said the framework aims to deepen cooperation across the entire critical minerals and rare earth supply chain, including mining, processing, recycling, and related investment. He stated that the initiative would strengthen resilient and diversified supply chains, support financing of projects, and ensure effective management of critical minerals and rare earths.
“It is one more sign of how close our cooperation has been in a world where there are so many challenges but also so many opportunities,” Mr. Jaishankar said during the announcement.
In his remarks, Mr. Rubio highlighted the importance of the India-U.S. strategic partnership and described the agreement as a tangible example of cooperation directly linked to the national interests of both countries.
“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,” Mr. Rubio said.
The U.S. Secretary of State also referred to the U.S.-backed Pax Silica initiative, emphasizing that the groundwork for the agreement had been laid on February 4 when India joined the Critical Minerals Forum hosted in Washington DC. He said the initiative gained momentum after India signed on to Pax Silica.
“Today, because we both have a strategic and shared interest in the fact that vibrant innovation economies such as ours cannot afford to leave the foundational materials of these industries vulnerable to single source monopoly that could deny us these things, not just in a time of conflict, but as a leverage point contrary to our sovereign national interests,” Mr. Rubio said.
He further described the signing as an important agreement that reflects the depth of the strategic partnership between India and the United States.
The Pax Silica initiative was launched in December to build a secure, resilient, and innovation-driven supply chain for critical minerals and artificial intelligence (AI). The latest framework between India and the U.S. is expected to strengthen bilateral cooperation in safeguarding access to strategic resources at a time when global supply chains face increasing geopolitical and economic pressures.
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