India and the US on Tuesday signed a bilateral critical minerals framework on the sidelines of the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in New Delhi even as the Quad unveiled a broader initiative aimed at mobilising up to $20 billion in public and private investments to build secure and diversified critical mineral supply chains.The developments mark a significant step in the expanding strategic and technology partnership among India, the US, Japan and Australia amid intensifying global competition over minerals essential for semiconductors, electric vehicles, batteries, artificial intelligence, telecommunications and advanced defence manufacturing.Officials said the India-US agreement sought to strengthen cooperation in securing supply chains for strategic minerals and ensuring that critical technologies remained within “trusted networks”, insulated from geopolitical disruptions, coercive market practices and overdependence on concentrated sources.The pact builds upon groundwork laid earlier this year during high-level meetings in Washington, where US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had launched the Forum on Resource Geostrategic Engagement (FORGE) aimed at deepening strategic resource cooperation with key partners.The two countries said the framework would facilitate coordinated investments, policy alignment and international cooperation to develop resilient and diversified mineral supply chains.In a statement issued after the signing, the US said Washington and New Delhi would work together in international forums to protect sensitive supply chains from “coercive market practices” and reduce vulnerabilities arising from “single-source monopolies”.Though no country was named directly, the agreement comes amid growing global concerns over excessive concentration in the processing and supply of rare earths and other strategic minerals critical to next-generation technologies and clean energy systems.The US administration said it was mobilising unprecedented financial support for critical mineral projects, including more than $30 billion in letters of interest, loans, investments and related support mechanisms in partnership with the private sector.Officials said wider technology and semiconductor initiatives such as Pax Silica were expected to catalyse billions of dollars in additional investments into strategic manufacturing and mineral ecosystems.Parallel to the bilateral agreement, the Quad Foreign Ministers adopted the new Quad Critical Minerals Initiative Framework aimed at strengthening cooperation in mining, processing, recycling and supply-chain resilience across the Indo-Pacific.Under the initiative, the member countries have planned to coordinate economic policy tools and investments to support strategic mineral projects linked to Quad supply chains and markets.The framework envisages support through export credit agencies, development finance institutions, insurance mechanisms, guarantees, loans and private capital mobilisation.A major focus of the initiative is reducing vulnerabilities arising from supply-chain disruptions and market concentration, with the four countries also agreeing to explore coordinated measures against “non-market policies and unfair trade practices” — language widely seen as reflecting concerns over strategic dominance and market distortions in critical mineral supply chains.The framework further seeks to improve regulatory coordination, accelerate permitting processes and strengthen national security reviews of investments involving strategic minerals.The Quad partners also placed strong emphasis on recycling and recovery of critical minerals from electronic waste and scrap materials, saying they would support investments in recycling technologies, collection systems and innovation in mineral recovery.