Critical Minerals Current Affairs for UPSC

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s State Visit to Indonesia has produced a major upgrade in India-Indonesia ties, with outcomes on BrahMos Missile System, Astra air-to-air missile cooperation, critical minerals, rare earth magnets, Sabang Port, maritime security, digital connectivity, space cooperation and cultural diplomacy. The visit is important for UPSC because it links India’s Act East Policy, Indo-Pacific strategy, defence exports, maritime chokepoints, critical-mineral security and ASEAN centrality.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the 52nd G7 Summit in Evian, France, where India was invited as a partner country. The summit discussed Ukraine, West Asia, the Strait of Hormuz, global growth, AI safety, critical minerals, debt vulnerabilities and development finance, while India highlighted the concerns of the Global South, safe shipping routes, seafarer safety and inclusive technology access.

India hosted the 11th Quad Foreign Ministers' Meeting at Hyderabad House, New Delhi, on 26 May 2026, chaired by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar with the foreign ministers of the United States, Australia and Japan. The meeting produced concrete deliverables — a maritime surveillance initiative, a critical minerals framework, an energy security initiative and the Quad's first joint infrastructure project (a port in Fiji). This article explains what the Quad is, the Indo-Pacific concept, the grouping's full history and evolution, the 2026 outcomes, each member's strategic objectives, China's opposition, related architectures like AUKUS, Malabar and IPEF, and the way ahead.

The United States has said that China will address American concerns over shortages of rare earths and other critical minerals, including yttrium, scandium, neodymium and indium. However, the latest White House statement reportedly dropped an earlier reference to completely removing China’s export control regime, indicating that Beijing’s broader restrictions are likely to continue. The issue is important for UPSC because rare earths and critical minerals are linked to semiconductors, defence systems, electric vehicles, renewable energy, telecom, data centres and strategic supply-chain security. This article explains China’s rare earth export controls, the importance of indium, why the US sees the development as only a small gain, and what it means for India’s critical mineral strategy.