India In Talks For Global Pacts On Critical Minerals: Piyush Goyal
The minister further said that India is also a member of US-led strategic alliance 'Pax Silica' that aims to build a resilient supply chain for critical minerals and artificial intelligence.
New Delhi: Commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday said India is in talks with certain countries to enhance collaboration and partnerships for processing and development of critical minerals as per its requirements. “We will have free trade agreements with countries around the world to get greater access to critical minerals that are essential for building resilient supply chains in the sector,” the minister told the reporters here.
The minister further said that India is also a member of US-led strategic alliance 'Pax Silica' that aims to build a resilient supply chain for critical minerals and artificial intelligence. “We are talking to some countries with which we will be having collaborations and partnerships to promote critical minerals being processed and developed for our requirements," he said.
Pax Silica is the US-led international economic-security initiative launched in December 2025 to secure global supply chains for semiconductors, artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure, and critical minerals. They are a group of minerals that are fundamental for modern industries. The sector has supply risks because its production and processing is concentrated in a few countries, with China being the leading player.
They are used in electric vehicles, batteries, semiconductors, renewable energy, defence equipment, telecommunications and electronics. For example, lithium, cobalt and nickel are used in batteries; rare earth elements are used in magnets for EVs, wind turbines and electronics; while gallium and germanium are important for semiconductors and other advanced technologies.
For India, securing reliable access to these minerals is important to reduce supply-chain vulnerabilities, support domestic manufacturing and accelerate the clean-energy transition. “With several of our partners in UK and Europe, we are in dialogue about how we can build resilient supply chains,” Goyal said.
Meanwhile, addressing the annual session of Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA) here, he also said that India would have trade pacts to get more access to critical minerals. “The US and India are working together as partners in critical mineral partnership and the Pax Silica initiative launched by the United States...So that like-minded, democratic well-meaning and fair-played countries can work together to ensure that no single geography can weaponise trade,” he added.