Quad comes together to create supply chains for critical minerals: Can it counter China?

The Quad, comprising India, Australia, Japan, and the United States, has launched an initiative to secure supply chains of critical minerals, as worries grow around China's stranglehold over the resources, which are vital to new technologies. In a joint statement released late on Wednesday evening, the Quad members said they were "deeply concerned" about the "abrupt constriction and future reliability of key supply chains, specifically for critical minerals". In a direct reference to China, they said that "reliance on any one country for processing and refining critical minerals and derivative goods production exposes our industries to economic coercion, price manipulation,…