Washington, D.C., Saturday, June 29, 2024

The US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) along with Silverado Policy Accelerator and Principal to Principal Strategies (P2P) convened a high-level roundtable titled “Enhancing U.S.-India Critical Minerals Collaboration” in Washington, D.C. 

USISPF President and CEO, Dr. Mukesh Aghi opened the discussion and touched on the need for U.S. and India collaboration in the critical minerals space. Dr. Aghi added “The Quad has been a landmark minilateral uniting four countries whose combined GDP is near $35 trillion. At a time of friendshoring and reshoring supply chains, a critical minerals synergy, will help solidify a new component of the Quad structure and boost India’s manufacturing potential in areas like smartphones and electric vehicles.“

Ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt, the Assistant Secretary for Energy Resources at the U.S. Department of State provided the keynote remarks and spoke about: “The bilateral U.S. -India energy relationship is one of the most consequential in the world — India has the potential to be a key partner in diversifying critical mineral supply chains globally.”

Ms. Verinda Fike, the Regional Director for the Indo-Pacific at the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) stated: “USTDA is committed to partnering across governments and the private sector to strengthen critical mineral supply chains. These partnerships are important to the shared clean energy and digital infrastructure goals of both India and the United States.”

The roundtable brought together a diverse array of stakeholders from industry, including USISPF members, the U.S. Government and the Embassy of India, think tanks, and international partners with interests and aspirations in the U.S. or India’s critical minerals market.

Ms. Mahnaz Khan, Vice President of Policy, Silverado stated: “The roundtable on June 27 is more than just dialogue. We’ve convened to formulate an actionable policy roadmap grounded in business input and a data-driven approach, aimed at shaping policies that mutually benefit the critical minerals sectors of both the United States and India.”

Stakeholders agreed that there is a massive opportunity in India’s mining sector but lacunas that exist regarding its global resource contributions. Ms. Kristi Rogers, Managing Partner and Co-Founder of P2P and the Global Supply Chain Task Force said: “Securing our critical minerals’ supply chain cannot be done alone, it requires almost unprecedented coordination and cooperation. But through collaboration, the US and India can spur economic growth by building new processing and refining industries and supporting infrastructure, creating jobs, and improving our collective economic security.”

The conversations touched on the progress of the U.S.-India partnership in critical minerals, and the potential and opportunities to advance not only their respective clean energy agendas but also fortify both nation’s economic interests.

The demand for key minerals, such as graphite, manganese, and lithium will continue to play a vital role in the electric vehicles (EV) space and will help India work towards its net zero vision in 2070.

The goal is to forge an actionable roadmap for enhancing U.S.-India collaboration in the critical minerals domain. While recognizing that this collaboration is still burgeoning, the objective remains to catalyze investments and foster robust bilateral linkages within critical minerals supply chains and their downstream industries.

Both Washington and New Delhi can propel progress in this vital sector and its associated clean technologies and intend to tackle the challenges inherent in critical minerals supply chains.

About the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF):

The US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) is committed to creating the most powerful partnership between the United States and India. As the only independent not-for-profit institution dedicated to strengthening the U.S.-India partnership in Washington, D.C., and in New Delhi, USISPF is the trusted partner for businesses, non-profit organizations, the diaspora, and the governments of India and the United States.

About Silverado Policy Accelerator:

Silverado Policy Accelerator is a Washington, DC-based 501 (c)(3) non-profit, bipartisan geopolitical think tank that works to promote U.S. and allied competitiveness and economic prosperity. Silverado advances action-oriented policy solutions in three interconnected areas: cybersecurity, international trade, and industrial security, and the intersection of ecological and economic security (Eco2Sec). Silverado uses a novel accelerator model that combines the expertise of a traditional think tank with the dynamism of a venture approach. The three stages of our accelerator model—Cultivating, Incubating, and Accelerating—are designed to transform fresh, data-driven policy ideas into actionable policy initiatives, nurturing a new strategic and economic vision from the ground up.

About Principal to Principal (P2P) Strategies:

The P2P Strategies Global Supply Chain Task Force was established in March 2020. It regularly convenes leading industry experts, manufacturers, producers, and consumers along with senior government executives to identify vulnerabilities and chokepoints within the supply chains of our critical technologies and develop solutions. Since late 2021, the Task Force has focused on critical minerals, identifying ways to regionally diversify, improve access to, and strengthen the resiliency of our supply chains for economic and national security

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Akshobh Giridharadas
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