India has initiated discussions with Australia to secure access to rare earth minerals amid growing concerns over global supply chains disrupted by Chinese export restrictions, an Australian official confirmed on Tuesday.
Speaking on the sidelines of the India Energy Storage Week (IESW) 2025, Malini Dutt, Trade and Investment Commissioner for the New South Wales Government, said, “They (India and Australia) are talking about rare earth and there are blocks available. So there is an opportunity for India to take an early-stage block and have tie-ups with a few companies.”
India’s Public and Private Sector Also Keen on Australian Copper Reserves
Beyond rare earths, Indian interest is also rising in copper blocks in Australia. “There is a lot of interest around copper as well, given some of the conversations I have had. The interest is both from the private sector and a PSU which is quite on the hunt for copper (blocks),” Dutt noted.
She added that Indian firms, including major players like Adani, are investing in smelter capacities, pointing to a readiness to process and utilise imported copper. “There is capacity available. There is an abundance of copper. That is one area people are looking at,” she said.
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China’s Export Curbs Trigger Strategic Moves
The talks come in the wake of China’s tightening of rare earth element exports, which has impacted the global supply of critical materials used in clean energy, electric vehicles, and defense technologies. China currently controls more than 90 percent of the world’s magnet processing capacity.
These essential materials—such as samarium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, and lutetium—are vital for components in electric motors, braking systems, smartphones, and missile technologies. India’s collaboration with Australia is seen as a strategic step to diversify sources and reduce reliance on Chinese supply chains.
