Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal stated on Friday that India and the US had signed an MoU on critical minerals to keep supply chains open and foster collaboration between India’s Ministry of Mines and the US government.Â
The minister also announced the signing of the MoU to ‘Expand and Diversify Critical Minerals Supply Chains’ between India and the US.Â
In a post on X, he writes, “ Delighted to announce the signing of the MoU to ‘Expand and Diversify Critical Minerals Supply Chains’ between India and the US. This development was the highlight of the 6th India-US Commercial Dialogue that I co-chaired with the US Secretary of Commerce @SecRaimondo , where we reaffirmed our commitment to driving outcome-oriented actions to ensure steady progress on key priorities throughout the year. We will continue to expand cooperation in new areas and strengthen existing ones by capitalising on the immense opportunities for India-US trade and commercial partnerships.
Delighted to announce the signing of the MoU to ‘Expand and Diversify Critical Minerals Supply Chains’ between India and the US. 🇮🇳🇺🇸
This development was the highlight of the 6th India-US Commercial Dialogue that I co-chaired with the US Secretary of Commerce @SecRaimondo,… pic.twitter.com/RWv8EGEhKQ
— Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) October 4, 2024
In a press address, Goyal highlighted that the MoU focuses on creating resilient semiconductor supply chains. “This was our sixth commercial dialogue, building on last year’s progress. The strategic discussions, including the critical minerals MoU, centred around resilient semiconductor supply chains. The talks also addressed sustainability and clean energy. There was significant discussion on exploring newer areas of cooperation, such as tourism,” he said.Â
Goyal further noted that both nations are working to broaden their engagement beyond bilateral ties to include other parts of the world. “The ‘innovation handshake’ we signed a year ago has been advanced, with a technology and sustainability summit anticipated next year. We are in discussions with the US to collaborate with third countries and expand our engagement beyond bilateral relations, exploring joint projects in areas such as critical minerals in third countries or attracting investments from these nations for joint ventures between the US and India,” he said.Â
He also mentioned the 9th CEO Forum, where new dimensions of business collaboration, especially in technology and investment, were discussed. “We held the 9th CEO Forum, which focused on enhancing business-to-business ties through greater collaboration in technology and investment, including areas like space, aviation, R&D, health, and clean energy are sectors where both the US and India share mutual interests, benefiting the people of both countries and humanity as a whole,” Goyal added.Â