Jaishankar Calls for 'De-Risking Supply Chains' at US Critical Minerals Event

• External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar addressed the inaugural Critical Minerals Ministerial in Washington, US, advocating for de-risking supply chains through global cooperation.
• The US hosted the ministerial with over 50 countries, including India, South Korea, Thailand, and Japan, to enhance collaboration on securing and diversifying critical mineral supply chains.
• Jaishankar highlighted India's initiatives like the National Critical Minerals Mission and Rare Earth Corridors to build greater resilience and support the FORGE initiative.
• The US and India are coordinating efforts to reduce reliance on China, which dominates rare-earth mining and processing, with India's 2026 Budget announcing dedicated rare earth corridors.
• US officials, including Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, emphasized the need to counter the concentration of critical minerals in one country, without explicitly naming China.