India and the US have agreed to work more closely on critical minerals following a meeting between Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. The agreement aims to strengthen the long-standing economic partnership between the two countries.

 

The two leaders met on the sidelines of the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting in Asheville, North Carolina, yesterday. The meeting placed critical minerals and secure supply chains at the centre of the India-US economic dialogue. Both sides acknowledged the long-standing relationship between the two countries and committed themselves to expanding cooperation across several areas.

 

Finance Minister Sitharaman also invited Mr Bessent to visit New Delhi later this year for the India-US Economic and Financial Partnership meeting.The proposed visit will provide the two governments another opportunity to review economic and financial cooperation and identify areas in which the partnership could be expanded.