Niti Aayog Flags China’s Grip on critical minerals

Government think tank, Niti Aayog member Arvind Virmani on Thursday emphasised the importance of addressing the concentration of critical mineral supply largely controlled by one country, leading to concerns about monopolies and the need for a competitive supply chain."(Critical)

- TBG NETWORK

Minerals are dispersed all over the world. But the metal supply, 80 to 90 per cent is controlled by one country. We would call that a monopoly,” Virmani told ANI in an interview on the sidelines of India Mining Summit 2025 in New Delhi. China is the world’s largest producer of critical minerals, including rare earth elements, accounting for a significant portion of global supply. It became a vital concern worldwide when China restricted exports of critical minerals. “People have got used to thinking of monopoly as a company monopoly in this new world. Think country monopolies and even regional monopolies are as important,” Virmani said.India, through initiatives like the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) launched on January 29, 2025, to strengthen its domestic supply chain and reduce import dependency by increasing exploration, processing, and recycl