India has maintained that the Quad partnership is vital to achieving like-minded cooperation with Japan on the supply of limited minerals as the country prepares key foreign engagements in the face of accelerated US trade threats. Amidst deteriorating bilateral ties and the looming threat of Trump imposing punishing 50 percent tariffs that were adversely affecting the Indian economy, New Delhi is hammering home the strategic value of the four-nation coalition and the need to explore other partnerships in order to challenge the Chinese monopoly on vital resources.
The strategic importance of the Quad was indicated by Modi during his visit
Indicating that the Quad grouping is highly important to India and Japan, particularly concerning the output of the critical minerals, the India Ministry of External Affairs has also emphasized the significance of the Quad grouping as far as India and Japan are concerned. In line with the news trended by StratNews Global, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is to visit Japan on August 29-30 to take part in the 15th India-Japan Annual Summit, where he will hold discussions with his Japanese counterpart, Shigeru Ishiba.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said that Quad is indeed a significant platform to work on and operate towards peace, stability, prosperity, and development in the Indo-Pacific. He pointed out that the agenda has been expanded and now involves a more practical agenda of cooperation, and that India expects to roll out several new initiatives with Japan on port maintenance, defense, and space.
This is how critical minerals cooperation counters China’s dominance
The Quad countries are concerned about the rising power and influence of China over key minerals, as last month, they announced a critical minerals initiative to curb Chinese influence. According to AOL, one of the objectives of the Quad is collaboration on critical minerals, cited by Misri as a priority in both India and Japan, with a view to unlocking more resilient supply chains and facilitating infrastructure development.
A gnarled political relationship between the two is underpinned by US tariff tensions
Although India has committed alongside the Quad, the relationship with the United States has experienced a significant downturn since President Trump announced that he would increase tariffs by as much as 50% on imports into the country. Such punitive actions, which mostly followed the Indian purchases of Russian oil and the blockade of opening agricultural sectors, have strained years of diplomatic relations between the two nations.
The tariff hike has cast concern over New Delhi hosting a summit of Quad leaders this year, with the last leaders meeting taking place in the US in September 2024. However, Misri added that India is still engaged in talks with the US over the tariffs, as well as keen to spur cooperation with the Quad countries.
Critical minerals initiative addresses supply chain vulnerabilities
In June, Reuters reported that India had asked a government miner to stop a 13-year-old pact on rare earths exports to Japan as it seeks to protect availability to meet domestic needs and rely less on China. Exports are not large yet, and analysts point out that India does not have on a wide scale technology and infrastructure to mine or process rare earth products productively.
The role of the Quad in bringing cooperation on critical minerals to the fore in India is evidence of how the group has transcended its security-oriented relationship to become a comprehensive solution to economic weaknesses and supply chain strengthening. As US-India relations undergo an unprecedented strain due to the Trump administration’s tariff policies, the Quad offers New Delhi alternative avenues to advance cooperation at a strategic level and deprive China of its hegemonic control of resources.