‘Weaponisation of critical minerals, tech can hurt progress’: Modi warns amid China’s curbs at BRICS
At the concluding session of the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, a warning was issued that the "weaponisation" of technology and critical minerals could hinder shared global progress
The remarks were made during a session also attended by the Chinese head of state, amid heightened global scrutiny of export-control measures on critical minerals
The statement did not name any country but came against the backdrop of China's 2025 export-licensing restrictions on rare-earth materials and magnets, and separately, the use of tariffs and technology-transfer curbs as economic leverage by other major economies
The remarks emphasised the need for inclusive and non-discriminatory access to critical technologies and mineral supply chains for developing economies
Critical Minerals — Definition, Global Supply Concentration and Strategic Risk
Critical minerals are minerals that are economically and strategically essential to a country (for clean energy, electronics, defence and telecommunications) but face high supply-chain risk, either due to geological scarcity or geographic concentration of processing capacity. India's Ministry of Mines has identified 30 such minerals following an expert-committee exercise modelled on similar exercises by the US, EU and Australia.
The warning against "weaponisation" of critical minerals reflects India's structural vulnerability to Chinese rare-earth export controls, which directly affects sectors like electric-vehicle motors, wind turbines and defence electronics that depend on rare-earth magnets.
Export Controls as Economic Statecraft — WTO Rules and Security Exceptions
Export controls on strategic goods (dual-use items, critical minerals, advanced semiconductors) are a recognised instrument of economic statecraft. Under the WTO framework, Article XXI of GATT 1994 (the "security exception") allows members to restrict trade for national security reasons, a provision increasingly invoked to justify export controls on critical technologies and minerals, generating disputes over whether such measures are genuinely security-driven or protectionist/coercive.
Key Details
- The US CHIPS and Science Act (2022) and associated export controls restrict advanced semiconductor and chip-making equipment exports to certain countries, citing national security
- China's Export Control Law (2020) provides the domestic legal basis for its rare-earth and critical-mineral licensing regime
- India's National Critical Mineral Mission (2024, outlay ₹16,300 crore through FY2030-31) and the KABIL joint venture (2019, comprising NALCO, Hindustan Copper Ltd. and MECL) are policy responses aimed at securing alternative and domestic mineral supply chains
Concerns over "weaponisation" reflect the broader global debate on whether critical-mineral and technology export controls constitute legitimate security measures or amount to coercive economic leverage — a live issue for India's trade and technology diplomacy at multilateral forums such as BRICS, the G20 and the WTO.
India's Diversification Strategy — Australia, Argentina and the "Mineral Security Partnership"
Facing China's near-monopoly in rare-earth processing, India has pursued mineral diversification through bilateral and plurilateral arrangements, including engagement with the US-led Minerals Security Partnership (MSP, launched 2022) and direct government-to-government mineral-sourcing agreements.
Key Details
- India signed agreements for lithium exploration and sourcing with Argentina and Australia through KABIL
- The Minerals Security Partnership (MSP), launched by the US State Department in 2022, brings together like-minded countries to secure critical mineral supply chains outside China-dominated networks; India joined the partnership in 2023
- Domestic exploration efforts under the Geological Survey of India (GSI) have identified lithium reserves in Jammu & Kashmir's Reasi district (2023 discovery, estimated 5.9 million tonnes, inferred category)
These diversification efforts form the practical policy response to the concerns over critical-mineral weaponisation raised at the summit, aiming to reduce single-source dependency on any one country for strategically vital minerals.
- China's share of global rare-earth mining: approximately 70%; refining capacity: approximately 90%
- China's share of rare-earth magnet production: approximately 94% (2020s), up from ~50% two decades ago
- India's rare-earth magnet import dependence on China (FY2024-25): approximately 93%
- MMDR Amendment Act, 2023: 24 critical and strategic minerals added to Schedule I
- National Critical Mineral Mission outlay: ₹16,300 crore (FY2024-25 to FY2030-31)
- India joined the US-led Minerals Security Partnership: 2023
- J&K Reasi district lithium discovery (2023): estimated 5.9 million tonnes (inferred resources)