Quad gains momentum with Rubio's India visit: USIBC
Washington, May 27
The US-India Business Council on Wednesday welcomed a series of strategic initiatives announced during US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's visit to India, saying the outcomes demonstrate renewed momentum in the Quad grouping and deeper economic ambition between New Delhi and Washington.
In a statement issued after the visit, USIBC praised the signing of the US-India Framework on Critical Minerals and Rare Earths, calling it a major step toward expanding cooperation in mining, processing and advanced technology supply chains.
"The Framework creates actionable pathways for investment, off-take agreements, co-development, and technology partnerships spanning mining, processing, and rare earth magnet value chains," the business body said.
USIBC also welcomed the Quad's Critical Minerals Framework announced during the meeting, saying it "further reinforces the multilateral architecture underpinning these bilateral gains".
"With disruptions to key maritime routes -- including through the Strait of Hormuz -- driving fuel and fertiliser price volatility across the Indo-Pacific, the launch of the Quad Fuel Security Forum and the broader Quad Initiative on Indo-Pacific Energy Security are timely and consequential steps," the statement said.
USIBC said India's position as one of the world's largest crude importers and an emerging clean energy hub made it a natural partner for American companies looking to invest in regional energy resilience.
The council also pointed to progress in trusted digital infrastructure, undersea cable connectivity and next-generation communications standards as key commercial openings for US and Indian businesses.
It highlighted initiatives linked to "Ports of the Future" as well as bio-manufacturing and pharmaceutical supply chain resilience across the Indo-Pacific.
"This week's announcements on energy security, critical minerals, and maritime ports demonstrate there is a lot of life and logic to the Quad and hosting the meeting in New Delhi, capping off Secretary Rubio's landmark visit, reinforces India's role as a vital global partner," USIBC President Atul Keshap said.
At the bilateral level, the council said it sees "strong commercial potential" in the TRUST framework for strategic technology cooperation, civilian nuclear power and data centres, defence co-production and movement toward a broader trade arrangement.
USIBC described these developments as signalling "the full depth of ambition the US-India partnership can deliver".
The organisation said it would work closely with industry partners to support implementation of the newly announced frameworks and create additional opportunities for trade, investment and commercial cooperation.
"The world's leading democracies are at their best when they lead together, and USIBC will help turn this diplomatic momentum into even more robust and enduring economic partnership India and the United States," the statement said.
The Quad grouping -- comprising India, the US, Japan and Australia -- has steadily expanded its agenda beyond security cooperation in recent years to include supply chains, emerging technologies, critical minerals, infrastructure and energy security.
— IANS
Reader Comments
While I support stronger ties with Quad nations, I'm cautiously optimistic. Remember when similar promises were made during Obama's "pivot to Asia"? We need concrete deliverables, not just frameworks and forums. Let's see actual investment flow into our mining sector and technology transfer happen before celebrating too much. But yes, energy security cooperation is definitely timely with all the volatility. 🇮🇳
Great to see Quad building substantive economic architecture. As someone working in the energy sector, the Fuel Security Forum is a smart move - diversifying supply routes away from chokepoints like Hormuz. India's position as both a major consumer and future clean energy hub makes perfect sense for this partnership. Looking forward to seeing how the undersea cable and digital infrastructure projects develop.
All this sounds good on paper, but let's be honest - Quad has been talking about "critical minerals" and "supply chain resilience" for years now. When will we see actual rare earth processing plants in India? When will Indian companies get real access to US defence technology? The US has a habit of using these frameworks to push their own agenda. We need to ensure India's interests are equally protected. 🤔
As someone who tracks Indo-Pacific developments, this is genuinely significant. The Quad is evolving from a geopolitical concept to practical economic cooperation. The "Ports of the Future" initiative could complement India's own port modernisation plans. And the focus on pharmaceuticals and bio-manufacturing is timely given our experience during COVID. Let's hope implementation matches the ambition.
Excellent strategic move by India! By hosting Rubio and pushing Quad agenda
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.