India, Oct. 15 -- The newest American tiff over tariffs with China - rare earth minerals being the spanner in the wheel - could speed up the movement towards a US-India trade deal, a prominent trade-policy think tank in New Delhi has said.

"China's tighter control over rare-earth exports and a deepening US-China trade war are forcing Washington to rethink its strategy with allies as it seeks reliable partners to build alternative supply chains," Ajay Srivastava, founder of the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI), told news agency ANI.

The assessment comes barely a day after US treasury secretary Scott Bessent listed India among allies in a "China versus the world" fight over rare earths, minerals that are used to make magnets crucia...