Priyanka Tiwari
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Suspense crime, Digital Desk : India is launching a major strategic partnership with five Central Asian nations—Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan—to jointly explore and mine rare earth elements. This significant move is aimed at breaking the world's heavy dependence on China for these critical minerals, which are essential for modern technology.
The agreement was reached during a high-level meeting of the India-Central Asia Joint Working Group in New Delhi. While the group also discussed regional security concerning Afghanistan, the focus on mineral cooperation signals a new and vital area of collaboration.
Rare earth elements (REEs) are a group of 17 minerals crucial for manufacturing a wide range of products, from smartphones, laptops, and electric vehicles to advanced defense systems and green energy technology like wind turbines.
Currently, China dominates the global market, controlling a vast majority of the world's REE mining and processing. This dominance gives Beijing significant leverage over global supply chains. The new India-Central Asia initiative aims to create a secure, reliable, and alternative supply chain, reducing geopolitical risks and ensuring mineral security for all participating nations.
Under the proposed partnership, the countries will cooperate on joint exploration projects to identify viable deposits. The plan also includes establishing processing facilities to refine the raw materials. India has offered to share its expertise and technology in the field to help kickstart the joint ventures.
This collaboration marks a proactive step by India and its Central Asian partners to build economic resilience and strategic autonomy in an increasingly competitive global landscape.
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