There is a quiet war being fought underground — not with weapons, but with mining rights, processing plants, and trade agreements. And this week, India officially picked a side.
Days after sealing a landmark tariff deal with Washington, New Delhi announced it would join a US-led coalition of nations dedicated to securing critical minerals — the rare earth elements, lithium, cobalt, and other materials that power everything from fighter jets to smartphones to electric vehicles.
Why Minerals Are the New Oil
China currently controls over 60% of the world's rare earth mining and roughly 90% of its processing capacity. That means every EV battery, every wind turbine, and every advanced chip depends, in some part, on Chinese supply chains. For the US and its allies, that dependency is a strategic vulnerability they can no longer ignore.
US Vice President JD Vance unveiled the alliance at a Washington summit attended by ministers from India, Australia, Canada, Japan, Mexico, and the EU. "The free world cannot build its future on supply chains controlled by a single country," Vance said.
India's Ace in the Hole
India brings real geological assets to the table. Significant lithium deposits have been confirmed in Jammu & Kashmir's Reasi district. Rare earth reserves dot the coasts of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. And India's existing expertise in chemicals and metallurgy gives it the potential to become a processing hub — the most lucrative part of the value chain.
The Road Ahead
Building mines and refineries takes years, not months. China's dominance wasn't built overnight, and it won't be dismantled overnight either. But the strategic intent is clear: the era of passive dependence is over. India is betting that the next century's power will come not from who controls the oil wells, but from who controls the periodic table.