External affairs minister S. Jaishankar is on a three-day visit to the US to participate in the critical minerals ministerial being convened by secretary of state Marco Rubio, amid continuing strain in the bilateral relationship over tariffs in particular.
The critical minerals ministerial is part of the Pax Silica — the US-led multilateral initiative launched in December to reduce dependence on single-source suppliers and build a resilient tech structure.
China is a leading single-source supplier for many of the critical minerals needed for clean energy, defence and high-tech industries.
India was invited to the grouping last month soon after US ambassador Sergio Gor took charge in Delhi. Announcing the visit, external affairs ministry said the ministerial will focus on supply chain resilience, clean energy transitions, and strategic cooperation in critical minerals.
As of today, nine countries are signatories to Pax Silica — Australia, Greece, Israel, Japan, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Singapore, the UAE and the UK. Not all were members at the time of launch. Besides, Canada, the European Union, the Netherlands, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and Taiwan are non-signatory participants.
Jaishankar will also meet senior members of the US administration during the visit, the ministry said. India is expected to join Pax Silica during the visit that comes days after New Delhi signed the "mother of all deals" — a free trade agreement — with the European Union.
Jaishankar’s visit comes close on the heels of US President Donald Trump claiming that India had signed a deal to buy Venezuelan oil. India has not said anything on this claim even 48 hours later.