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US President Donald Trump said Friday that there seems to be no reason to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping as part of an upcoming trip to South Korea after China restricted exports of rare earths needed for American industry. The Republican president suggested that he was looking at a massive increase of import taxes on Chinese products in response to Xi's moves. One of the Policies that we are calculating at this moment is a massive increase of Tariffs on Chinese products coming into the United States of America, Trump posted on his Truth Social platform. There are many other countermeasures that are, likewise, under serious consideration. The United States and China have been jockeying for advantage in trade talks, after the import taxes announced earlier this year triggered a trade war between the world's two largest economies. Both nations agreed to ratchet down tariffs after negotiations in Switzerland and the United Kingdom, yet tensions remain as China has sought to restr
Hindustan Copper Ltd (HCL) on Friday entered into an initial pact with Oil India Ltd for cooperation on exploration and development of critical and strategic minerals, including copper. The development comes at a time when the country is prioritising domestic production to reduce import dependency on China. State-owned Oil India Ltd (OIL) has a proven expertise in exploration, development, production and transportation of crude oil and natural gas. "In a significant step towards strengthening India's self-reliance in critical and strategic mineral sourcing, Oil India Ltd and Hindustan Copper Ltd signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on September 19, 2025," HCL said in a statement. HCL, a PSU under the mines ministry, is engaged in mining, production, processing and marketing of copper and related products. It is focusing on mining and beneficiation of copper ore and selling of copper concentrate. Hindustan Copper had earlier told PTI that it plans to bid for critical mineral
The mining reforms introduced in the Union Budget will have a transformative impact and will enhance the competitiveness of India's critical minerals sector, industry players said. In her Budget speech, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that a policy for recovery of critical minerals from tailings or by-products of mining will be launched. Sitharaman also said that mining sector reforms, including those for minor minerals, will be encouraged through the sharing of best practices and the institution of a State Mining Index. Additionally, the finance minister announced the removal of import duty on 12 critical minerals, cobalt powder and waste, lithium-ion battery scrap, lead and zinc. The sharing of best practices and institutionalising a State Mining Index for minor minerals along with a policy for recovery of critical minerals from tailings will enable circularity and innovation within the industry, Hindustan Zinc Ltd CEO Arun Misra said. As the country transitions t
Steel to Infrastructure JSW Group is interested in participating in auction of critical minerals, its Chairman Sajjan Jindal said on Wednesday. Jindal, who made the remarks at an event in Mumbai, said the move will help in backward integration of the group's plans for new energy vehicles. "We will certainly participate when the mining auction comes up," he said while replying to a question. The comments come a month after the JSW Group announced signing an agreement with the Odisha government to set up an integrated electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing facility in the state, entailing an investment of Rs 40,000 crore. Once completed, the project will mark JSW Group's foray into the automobile space. Union Mines Minister Pralhad Joshi has launched the second tranche of the auction of critical and strategic mineral blocks. The government also plans to launch the first tranche of offshore minerals auctions by June-July this year.
India and Brazil on Thursday explored ways to expand cooperation in areas of energy, critical minerals, technology and counter-terrorism at their first '2+2' defence and foreign ministerial dialogue. External affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the talks spanned various key areas of cooperation. "Discussions spanned defence, space, energy, critical minerals, tech, counter-terrorism and regional, multilateral & other issues of mutual interest," he said on 'X'. The dialogue took place in Delhi. It was co-chaired by additional secretary in the external affairs ministry G V Srinivas and joint secretary in the defence ministry Vishwesh Negi. The Brazilian delegation was led by Director at Brazilian foreign ministry Marcelo Camara and Rear Admiral Fernando de Luca Marques de Oliviera.