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South Korea Leads New US-Backed Critical Minerals Alliance Through June

South Korea will chair the newly launched FORGE initiative on critical mineral supply chains through June, continuing its leadership role from the preceding Minerals Security Partnership. The announcement followed the inaugural Critical Minerals Ministerial hosted by the U.S. Secretary of State, which brought together officials from 54 countries and the European Commission. The U.S.-led effort seeks to reinforce and diversify supply chains for minerals vital to high-tech and military manufacturing, directly countering China's formidable influence over these key resources. At the meeting, the U.S. Vice President outlined the administration's approach involving a preferential trade zone with adjustable tariffs to guard against external disruptions.

Key Points: S. Korea Chairs FORGE Critical Minerals Initiative to Counter China

  • S. Korea to chair FORGE through June
  • Initiative aims to diversify critical minerals supply
  • Part of US effort to counter China's dominance
  • 54 countries participated in ministerial meeting
  • Focus on high-tech military and consumer goods
2 min read

S. Korea to chair FORGE critical minerals initiative through June

South Korea will chair the FORGE initiative on critical minerals supply chains until June, as the US rallies allies to reduce dependence on China.

"FORGE... will lead with bold and decisive action to address ongoing challenges in the global critical minerals marketplace. - U.S. State Department"

Washington, Feb 5

South Korea will lead a new multinational initiative, launched under a US push to beef up cooperation with allies on critical minerals supply chains, through June, the State Department said, as Washington steps up efforts to counter China's formidable clout over key resources.

The department made the announcement on Seoul's role for FORGE, or Forum on Resource Geostrategic Engagement, after the inaugural Critical Minerals Ministerial, a meeting aimed at reinforcing and diversifying supply chains for critical minerals key to the manufacturing of high-tech military and consumer products, reports Yonhap news agency.

"FORGE, which will be chaired by the Republic of Korea through June, will lead with bold and decisive action to address ongoing challenges in the global critical minerals marketplace," the department said in a fact sheet.

"Understanding the benefits of working together and building on the MSP, FORGE partners will collaborate at the policy and project levels to advance initiatives that strengthen diversified, resilient, and secure critical minerals supply chains," it added.

MSP is short for the Minerals Security Partnership, a precursor to FORGE. South Korea previously served as the MSP chair as well.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio hosted the ministerial meeting on critical minerals at the State Department, where officials from 54 countries and the European Commission participated, including South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and representatives from Japan, Australia, Canada and India, to name a few.

At the start of the meeting, U.S. Vice President JD Vance said that U.S. President Donald Trump's administration is seeking a "preferential trade zone," which will maintain "price floors" through "adjustable tariffs" and guard itself from "external disruptions."

The meeting came as Washington has been intensifying efforts to bring allies and partners closer together to address supply chain vulnerabilities and other risks as China wields dominant influence over rare earths and other vital resources.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
Good to see India at the table. But we need to be careful. These Western-led initiatives often come with conditions. Our focus should be on self-reliance - 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' in the minerals sector is the ultimate goal.
R
Rohit P
The mention of "adjustable tariffs" and "price floors" by the US VP is concerning. Sounds like protectionism. Hope India negotiates well to protect our interests and our manufacturing sector's access to affordable raw materials.
S
Sarah B
Interesting to see South Korea taking the lead. They are a tech powerhouse. India can learn a lot from their model of securing resources for electronics and battery manufacturing. Collaboration is better than isolation in this case.
V
Vikram M
While diversifying away from China's dominance is necessary, let's not pretend this is purely about "security". It's geopolitics. India must walk a fine line, ensuring we don't get caught in a new cold war while securing our needs.
K
Karthik V
Hope our representatives are pushing for technology transfer and investment in Indian mining & processing. We have the minerals, we need the tech and sustainable methods to extract and use them. That should be the ask.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

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