India Intensifies Strategic Outreach With Brazil, Canada, France and Netherlands Over Critical Minerals Deals

India is expanding its international engagement to secure critical minerals, entering negotiations with Brazil, Canada, France and the Netherlands to develop cooperation on exploration, extraction, processing and recycling of key raw materials essential for its industrial and clean-energy transition.

Led by the Ministry of Mines, the discussions target strategic resources such as lithium and rare earth elements — vital for electric vehicles, renewable energy infrastructure, advanced electronics, and defence technologies. India’s efforts reflect a broader strategy to diversify supply chains and reduce dependency on China, which currently dominates global mining and processing capacity for these minerals.

Officials say negotiations with Canada are among the most advanced, and could culminate during a planned bilateral visit by Canadian leaders in the coming weeks, potentially linking critical minerals to wider cooperation in energy, technology and uranium. Talks with Brazil, France and the Netherlands are at earlier stages but are considered important to building a resilient, multi-partner supply network.

India’s outreach builds on a growing portfolio of international agreements. Earlier arrangements with countries including Germany, Australia, Argentina and Japan have focused on securing upstream supplies and processing capacities. New Delhi has also initiated dialogue with Peru and Chile on broader mineral cooperation frameworks.

Experts note that while diplomatic deals can pave the way for access to critical mineral resources and technologies, translating negotiations into production and processing capacity typically requires years due to the lengthy timelines of exploration and mine development. Nonetheless, policymakers view these partnerships as essential to meeting India’s long-term energy, industrial and climate goals.

The moves come against a backdrop of heightened global competition for critical minerals, with major economies seeking to diversify away from over-reliance on single sources and build more secure, sustainable supply chains.