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International Relations GS 2 In the news 3 times

Critical Minerals and Supply Chain Diversification

One of the 21 agreements pertains to critical minerals cooperation, reflecting the global scramble to diversify supply chains away from Chinese dominance in processing and refining.

Key details
  • Critical minerals are those essential to economic or national security with high supply disruption risk — including lithium, cobalt, graphite, and rare earth elements.
  • China processes over 50% of the world's lithium, 66% of cobalt, and nearly all rare earth elements globally.
  • India released its first Critical Minerals List in 2023, identifying 30 minerals critical for energy transition and technology sectors.
  • India-France critical minerals cooperation targets joint exploration, extraction, and processing to reduce dependence on single-source supply chains.
  • The Khanij Bidesh India Limited (KABIL) is India's nodal agency for securing overseas critical mineral assets.
In the news

Tracked since February 18, 2026 · last seen September 19, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes

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