Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Warning that critical mineral supply chains have become tools of political coercion, the United States convened 54 countries and the European Commission to overhaul the global market for strategic minerals and rare earths.
At the ministerial, the US announced the signing of 11 new bilateral critical minerals frameworks or memoranda of understanding. These include agreements with Argentina, Ecuador, Guinea, Morocco, Paraguay, Peru, the Philippines, the United Arab Emirates, and Uzbekistan.
The US said it has signed ten similar agreements over the past five months and completed negotiations with 17 additional countries. The frameworks are intended to help partners address pricing challenges, spur development, create fair markets, close gaps in priority supply chains, and expand access to financing, it said.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, joined by Vice President J.D. Vance, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Energy Secretary Chris Wright, and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, hosted the 2026 Critical Minerals Ministerial in Washington on February 4.
The meeting brought together 43 foreign and other ministers from across Africa, Latin America, Europe, the IndoPacific, and the Middle East. India was among the participating countries, alongside major producers and consumers including Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates. “Critical minerals and rare earths are essential for our most advanced technologies and will only become more important as AI, robotics, batteries, and autonomous devices transform our economies,” the U.S. fact sheet said. Rubio also announced the creation of the Forum on Resource Geostrategic Engagement, or FORGE, as the successor to the Minerals Security Partnership.
Pax Silica
In a statement after the ministerial, the Trump administration stressed that governments alone cannot solve supply chain vulnerabilities. It highlighted the role of the private sector through initiatives such as Pax Silica, which focuses on investments in mining, refining, processing, recycling, and enduse applications.
