India-US Critical Minerals Meet: Vaishnaw Shares Key Points

• Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw attended a US-led meeting on strengthening global critical mineral supply chains
• Nations agreed to collaborate on research to improve mineral availability and sustainability
• India will join the US-led PaxSilica alliance to boost the global silicon and semiconductor supply chain

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw attended a high-level ministerial meeting convened by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, focused on strengthening the resilience of global supply chains for critical minerals.

The meeting brought together representatives from multiple countries to explore strategies for ensuring the long-term availability, sustainability, and reliability of essential minerals that underpin modern manufacturing.

Speaking after the session, Vaishnaw emphasized the significance of these discussions amid the rapid growth of manufacturing sectors, particularly electronics, in India and globally.

The minister stated, “US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent organised a ministerial meeting focused on resilience in the supply chain of critical minerals. As we all know, and especially in India, when the manufacturing sector is growing rapidly, especially electronics manufacturing, it's very important for all the countries, including India, to have a resilient supply chain of critical minerals. In this meeting, participants from various countries discuss their experience, the steps that they are taking in making the supply chain resilient, especially technology for refining and processing the mineral ores so that high-quality critical minerals, especially the rare earth, permanent magnets can be secured in the long term in a sustainable manner”.

He added, “There were discussions around funding new projects. There were discussions around technology sharing between different countries. There were very important discussions about recycling because that's a good way of harnessing the minerals out of the waste products. There were discussions and agreements around sharing research work among different countries. It was a very positive meeting in which the thought process was to improve the quality and availability of critical minerals”.

He highlighted that robust critical mineral supply chains are essential to enhancing India’s manufacturing capabilities and supporting its expanding electronics industry.

Also Read: India, Australia Invited to G7 Talks on Critical Minerals

US Treasury Secretary Bessent expressed optimism that participating nations would recognize the urgent need for coordinated and decisive action in the critical minerals domain.

In a post on X, he stated, “At today's Finance Ministerial hosted by the US Treasury, I was pleased to hear a strong, shared desire to quickly address key vulnerabilities in critical minerals supply chains. I am optimistic that nations will pursue prudent derisking over decoupling and understand well the need for decisive action”.

Discussions at the meeting also focused on international collaboration in research, with countries agreeing to share research outputs to improve both the quality and accessibility of critical minerals worldwide.

Separately, US Ambassador-designate to India Sergio Gor announced that India will be invited next month to join PaxSilica, a US-led strategic alliance, as a full member.

Launched in December 2025, PaxSilica aims to create a secure and innovation-driven global silicon and semiconductor supply chain, spanning critical minerals, energy inputs, advanced manufacturing, semiconductors, AI development, and logistics.

Ambassador Gor described India’s inclusion as a step toward strengthening international collaboration in building a resilient and prosperous silicon and semiconductor ecosystem, reflecting the country’s growing role in the global technology and manufacturing landscape.

This meeting and India’s forthcoming participation in PaxSilica underscore the increasing importance of international cooperation in securing critical minerals and ensuring the sustainability of strategic supply chains.