Amid China stranglehold, Modi tells Brics to secure critical mineral supplies

Mint

a day ago

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday called on Brics countries to work together in order to secure critical mineral supply chains and ensure that no one nation is able to dominate and weaponize these resources.
His call at the 17th Brics Summit in Rio de Janeiro comes amid a Chinese chokehold on global rare earth supplies. Brics is a group of 11 countries that was set up by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
Modi said it was important to make critical mineral supply chains reliable and ensure that no one country uses these resources for its own selfish gains or as a weapon against others, according to a press statement by the Prime minister's office (PMO) on 7 July.
"We need to work together to make supply chains for critical minerals and technology secure and reliable. It's important to ensure that no country uses these resources for its own selfish gain or as a weapon against others," said Modi.
To be sure, the PMO's press statement was an approximate English translation of Modi's remarks, which were delivered in Hindi.
Modi's call for Brics collaboration, a veiled nudge to China, comes amid a global supply shortage of rare earth metals and allied products due to an export control order issued by the Chinese commerce ministry in April.
China has approximately 90-95% of the world's rare earth metal processing capacity, allowing it to use its exports to its own advantage. Rare earth metals and their products are used in strategic sectors such as renewable energy, clean mobility and electronics, among others.
Separately, Modi also called for urgent reforms to global 'governance institutions', underlining the need to give developing countries a stronger voice in international decision-making.
Modi said institutions such as the UN Security Council, International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank, and World Trade Organization (WTO) must be overhauled to reflect 21st-century realities.
Modi's remarks on rare earth minerals came just days after another international coalition—the Quad, made up of the US, Japan, Australia, and India—announced a Quad Critical Minerals Initiative, pledging to work together to secure and diversify supply chains.
A joint statement by the Quad strategic partners on 1 July described the initiative as "an ambitious expansion of our partnership to strengthen economic security and collective resilience by collaborating to secure and diversify critical minerals supply chains".
At the Brics summit, Modi also spoke about various initiatives India had undertaken which were aligned with Brics nations in technology, including a sharp focus on artificial intelligence (AI). He said India will organize an "AI Impact Summit' next year for improved co-ordination among all countries.
"We see AI as a medium to enhance human values ​​and potential. Working on the mantra of "A.I. for All", today we're widely and actively using AI in sectors like agriculture, health, education, governance in India," said Modi.
'We must work together for Responsible AI. Global standards must be created that can verify the authenticity of digital content, so that we can identify the source of the content and maintain transparency and prevent misuse.'
India is set to host the next Brics summit in 2026.
Modi also said nations in the Global South have some special expectations and aspirations from Brics and that India had aligned its efforts in multiple domains with other Brics nations. He said the Brics Agricultural Research Platform, established in India had enhanced collaboration in agricultural research.
"It can become a medium for sharing research and best practices in topics such as agri-biotech, precision farming, and climate change adaptation. We can also extend its benefits to countries in the Global South," said Modi.
Modi also called for the creation of a Brics Science and Research Repository, along the lines of India's 'One Nation, One Subscription' initiative to ensure nationwide access to academic journals.
"Similar efforts have been undertaken in other Brics countries as well. I propose that we collectively explore the creation of a Brics Science and Research Repository, which could also serve as a valuable resource for the countries of the Global South," he said.
Modi lauded the efforts taken by the Brics New Development Bank to aid nations in the Global South. He said the NDB must focus on demand-driven approaches, long-term financial sustainability, and healthy credit rating, adding that improving the internal systems in each nation will enhance the credibility of calls for reforms in multilateral institutions.