US Deepens Critical Minerals Ties with India; Vaishnaw to Attend Key Meet

• Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw will represent India at a US-hosted critical minerals meeting on January 12.
• US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed India's participation in a G7 finance ministers' meeting to discuss critical minerals, citing China's supply chain weaponization.
• India is expected to join the US-led Pax Silica initiative, which currently includes the US, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Netherlands, UK, Israel, UAE, and Australia.
• Another US meeting on critical minerals will be held before the Artificial Intelligence Impact Summit in New Delhi on February 19-20.
• The US also has a separate critical minerals initiative with Pakistan, which has strengthened political ties between Washington and Islamabad.

Why It Matters: US seeks deeper critical minerals engagement with India amid global supply chain concerns, with Vaishnaw attending key meets.