August 27, Wednesday: India reaffirmed its commitment to the Quad coalition before Prime Minister Narendra Modi travels to Japan on August 29-30, even as tensions with the United States over trade. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri told a press conference on Tuesday that India places "a high value" on the Quad, which it believes is an important forum for peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific.
Priorities of Quad include critical minerals
Misri highlighted that joint work on critical minerals is presently a priority for Japan and India. "There’s an initiative with regard to critical minerals… to make supply chains more resilient and also infrastructure development," he told Reuters, without providing details. Reuters further added that in June, India requested a state-owned miner to halt a 13-year-old deal to export rare earths to Japan to protect local supplies and cut back on China's domination.
Export levels are still small, and commentators note India does not possess large-scale infrastructure to mine or process rare earths. Nevertheless, the minerals upon which electric vehicles, wind turbines, and military technology depend, have become the focus of the Quad's agenda.
Tariffs put a shadow over US relations
The Quad reaffirmation comes amid India's strained relationship with the US. Reuters had reported that President Donald Trump's imposition of tariffs of up to 50% on Indian imports, citing Russian oil purchases and agricultural trade restrictions, undermined decades of progress. The action has called into question India's capacity to host a Quad summit later this year.
On the Japan visit which is his eighth since 2014, Modi and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba are to make fresh announcements and better initiatives. From Tokyo, Modi heads to China on his first visit in more than seven years to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit.
