Quad Reveals Plan to Protect Critical Mineral Supply Chains

(MENAFN) The foreign ministers of the Quad nations— the US, Australia, India, and Japan— revealed a major new initiative on Tuesday aimed at safeguarding and diversifying global supply chains for vital minerals. The Quad Critical Minerals Initiative, unveiled after a high-level meeting in Washington led by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, seeks to "strengthen economic security and collective resilience by securing and diversifying critical mineral supply chains," according to a statement from the US State Department.

Secretary Rubio met with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, and Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya during the latest Quad Foreign Ministers' Meeting.

The group reaffirmed their "steadfast commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific" and reiterated their joint dedication to ensuring peace, security, and prosperity in the region, the statement noted.

In a joint declaration post-meeting, the ministers voiced their deep concerns about the escalating tensions in the East China Sea and South China Sea.

"We express our serious concerns regarding dangerous and provocative actions, including interference with offshore resource development, the repeated obstruction of the freedoms of navigation and overflight, and the dangerous maneuvers by military aircraft and coast guard and maritime militia vessels, especially the unsafe use of water cannons and ramming or blocking actions in the South China Sea," the ministers stated.

The Quad countries also condemned North Korea’s "destabilizing launches" involving ballistic missile technology and its relentless pursuit of nuclear weapons.

Additionally, the ministers strongly condemned the April 22 terrorist attack at the Pahalgam tourist resort in Indian-administered Kashmir that claimed 26 lives, calling for the immediate prosecution of those responsible.

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