India, June 4 -- On May 26, India and the US signed a bilateral critical minerals framework; the same day, Quad unveiled a $20-billion initiative spanning mining, processing, and recycling of critical minerals. These join a growing list of recent US-India partnerships, including FORGE, Pax Silica, the bilateral TRUST, and the Strategic Mineral Recovery Initiative (SMRI). While the details of the India-US framework are not publicly available, the Quad countries jointly released a statement outlining key areas of cooperation.

The US is a minor direct consumer - accounting for less than 5% of global demand - for minerals such as cobalt, nickel, and rare earths. Its imports of components made using these elements are several orders of magnit...