Critical mineral cooperation with US advancing rapidly: Jaishankar

EAM S Jaishankar said the India-US trade deal is close to completion, marking a new phase in bilateral ties, as his Washington visit advanced cooperation on trade, energy and critical minerals

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday said the “historic” India-US trade deal was in the final stages of detailing and will be completed soon. He also said that critical mineral cooperation between the two countries was “advancing rapidly”.

 

The minister concluded a two-day visit to the US, which he termed as productive and positive. He was in Washington DC to attend a ministerial meeting on critical minerals that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio hosted, and which ministers and officials from 50 countries attended.

 

In his post on social media, Jaishankar said the trade deal “opens up a new phase in our bilateral ties, with vast possibilities for the relationship”. 

 

Jaishankar held “wide ranging” talks with Rubio during his visit. “Expect engagement on strategic issues, defence and energy in the coming days. Overall, a strong momentum is evident,” he said. 

 

In his remarks at the meeting on critical minerals, Jaishankar highlighted the challenges of excessive concentration and the importance of de-risking supply. He also talked about structured international cooperation and highlighted India's efforts towards greater resilience through the National Critical Mineral Mission, Rare Earth Corridor and responsible commerce. He conveyed support for the US’ Forum on Resource, Geostrategic Engagement, or FORGE, initiative that has been set in motion post this critical minerals partnership.

 

At the Ministry of External Affairs’ weekly media briefing on Thursday afternoon, its spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the India-US trade agreement, “will give a major boost to our exports to the US”. “It will be a major boost to the labour-intensive industries here in India, creating new job opportunities, growth and prosperity for our people. Also, let me say that the US side has also clarified that the final figure of tariff is 18 per cent,” he said.

 

Three US Congressmen visited India from January 25 to 27 as part of the regular exchanges with the US Congress members, Jaiswal said. “Regular dialogue, conversations are an important part of our India-US comprehensive strategic partnership.” 

 

The three Congressmen who visited India included Mike Rogers, a Republican from Alabama, Adam Smith, a Democrat from Washington, and Jimmy Patronis, a Republican from Florida. It was a bipartisan delegation accompanied by senior staff members and met the External Affairs Minister and the Defence Secretary. “Discussions centred around bilateral ties, bilateral cooperation, matters of trade, Ukraine issue, what we are doing together in the Indo-Pacific. They also had a meeting with industry leaders, in particular in the defence sector,” Jaiswal said.

 

The fact that it was a bipartisan Congressional delegation from the US reflects that there is strong bipartisan support for India-US relations, he said.