The text of the following statement was released by the governments of Australia, India, Japan, and the United States of America on the occasion of the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in New Delhi, India.
The United States, Japan, Australia, and India (the “Quad partners”) intend to support the development of secure critical minerals supply chains, which are essential for advanced technologies, economic growth, and the resilience of our industrial bases. Through the Quad Critical Minerals Initiative, Quad partners intend to work together to use economic policy tools and coordinated investment to accelerate the development of diversified and fair critical mineral markets and support the supply of critical minerals that are crucial to our region’s economic growth and security.
This framework sets out key areas for cooperation among the Quad partners on critical minerals supply chains giving due regard for each partner’s domestic policies and priorities.
I. Investment and Project Development
Quad partners intend to mobilize up to $20 billion in government and private sector support through new and existing efforts to strengthen critical minerals supply chains, including in mining, processing, and recycling, through actions such as:
- Identifying projects with a Quad nexus, such as those located in Quad partner countries, operated by companies headquartered in Quad partner countries, or supplying Quad markets, that address critical mineral supply chain gaps;
- Supporting strategic critical minerals projects including through export credit agencies, development finance institutions, mobilization of private capital, or other public supporting tools, such as guarantees, loans, equity participation, insurance, subsidies, and offtake or other commercial arrangements, as appropriate; and
- Exploring new mechanisms to help mobilize private capital and strengthen critical minerals supply chains in Quad partner countries and regionally.
II. Regulatory Alignment and Overall Environment
Quad partners aim to improve the overall environment for critical minerals development, as appropriate and in accordance with their respective domestic laws including through actions such as:
- Sharing, where appropriate, information on good practices and technical approaches to permitting, licensing, and regulatory processes, including measures to accelerate or streamline permitting timelines and processes;
- Developing or strengthening, consistent with domestic law, tools and authorities to review and, as appropriate, address transactions involving critical minerals that threaten national security;
- Cooperating on technology development and capacity building related to geological mapping and resource assessment; and
- Considering the feasibility of coordinated measures to address non-market policies and unfair trade practices, such as high standards marketplaces, price mechanisms, or other measures.
III. Recycling and Recovery of Critical Minerals
Quad partners intend to work together to improve the recovery and use of critical minerals from e waste and other scrap materials to enhance the supply chain and promote recycling of contained critical minerals within Quad partner and like-minded countries, as appropriate, including through actions such as:
- Encouraging and supporting the facilitation of investment in critical minerals recycling technologies, processes, and collection networks within Quad partner countries in collaboration with the private sector;
- Collaborating to enhance recovery of critical minerals, such as through building or facilitating the creation of robust collection and recycling processes;
- Promoting innovation in critical minerals recovery from, and recycling of, e waste and scrap materials among Quad partners; and
- Exploring cooperation to streamline export and import procedures for relevant waste and scrap among Quad partners, in line with the domestic laws and regulations, and international obligations, as appropriate, of each partner.