Secure and diversified supply chains, recycling, and more investment are among the top priorities for the U.S. and its Indo-Pacific allies.
The four Quad nations, Australia, India, Japan, and the United States, agreed on Tuesday to work more closely on critical mineral supply chains. The announcement was made during the 10th Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Washington, D.C., where U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio hosted the foreign ministers from Australia, India, and Japan. The ministers gathered to address pressing regional issues regarding the Indo-Pacific, with critical minerals among the key priorities.
Under the new initiative, the Quad nations plan to work together to secure and diversify reliable supply chains for critical minerals. They will also collaborate on the recovery and reprocessing of critical minerals from electronic waste, according to a fact sheet published by India’s Ministry of External Affairs regarding the initiative. In addition, the four countries aim to partner closely with the private sector to boost investment in critical mineral infrastructure and promote long-term supply chain resilience.
Although China was not named directly, the Quad’s joint statement alluded to its near monopoly in the sector, warning that “reliance on any one country for processing and refining critical minerals and derivative goods production exposes our industries to economic coercion, price manipulation, and supply chain disruptions, which harm both economic and national security.” Except for a few outliers, China dominates most global critical minerals supply chains, particularly the processing and refining stages.
Photo: Aleksander Tumko