Jaishankar Calls For 'De-Risking Supply Chains' At Critical Minerals Event In US

Last Updated:February 04, 2026, 23:48 IST

Jaishankar said he underlined the challenges of excessive concentration and the importance of de-risking supply chains at the Critical Minerals Ministerial in the US.

EAM Jaishankar at the Critical Minerals Ministerial in the US. (Reuters)

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar addressed the inaugural Critical Minerals Ministerial in Washington, US, on Wednesday on behalf of India, where he flagged the challenges of “excessive concentration" of critical minerals and the importance of de-risking supply chains through global cooperation.

The US hosted the Critical Minerals Ministerial at the Department of State in Washington, bringing together more than 50 countries – South Korea, India, Thailand, Japan and more – to advance collaboration on securing and diversifying global critical mineral supply chains.

In a post on X, Jaishankar said he underlined the challenges of excessive concentration and the importance of de-risking supply chains through structured international cooperation. He also conveyed India’s support to the FORGE initiative on critical minerals.

“Spoke at the Critical Minerals Ministerial in Washington DC today. Underlined challenges of excessive concentration and the importance of de-risking supply chains through structured international cooperation. Highlighted India’s efforts towards greater resilience through initiatives including Critical Minerals Mission, Rare Earth Corridors and responsible commerce," he said.

Before the start of the ministerial, Jaishankar met with several global counterparts, including Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand and Singapore’s Vivian Balakrishnan. He also interacted with his counterparts from the Netherlands, Italy, Malaysia, Bahrain, Mongolia, Poland, Romania, Israel and Uzbekistan

This comes as the US and India are coordinating efforts to diversify supply chains for rare earths and reduce reliance on China, which dominates rare-earth mining and processing. The announcement of dedicated rare earth corridors in India’s 2026 Budget is a particularly important signal in building domestic processing.

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Speaking at the ministerial, US Vice President JD Vance said America wanted to “eliminate that problem of people flooding into our markets with cheap critical minerals to undercut our domestic manufacturers", without mentioning China.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also said the minerals are “heavily concentrated in the hands of one country" and the situation had become a “tool of leverage in geopolitics."

Earlier, US President Donald Trump announced Project Vault, a $12 billion supply chain security initiative that will create the US Strategic Critical Minerals Reserve, an independently governed public-private partnership designed to store essential raw materials at facilities across the country.

According to the Energy Agency, China dominates the supply chain of key minerals, refining between 47% and 87% of copper, lithium, cobalt, graphite and rare earths. In January, China banned the export of items destined for Japan’s military that have civilian and military uses, including some critical minerals, triggering efforts by other countries to scale up their own rare-earths processing.

In October, Trump agreed to reduce tariffs on Chinese goods in exchange for Beijing’s pledge to hold off on stricter restrictions on rare earths exports, highlighting China’s leverage over critical minerals. The ministerial underscored a broader US push to work with partners to counter China’s dominance in critical minerals at a time when Trump had angered allies with his aggressive “America First" tariff policies.

(with inputs from agencies)

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