New Delhi, Feb. 8 -- US officials are increasingly pushing India to join the Pax Silica initiative aimed at challenging China's dominance in the critical minerals supply chain. On 6 February, Jacob Helberg, under secretary of state for economic affairs, told reporters that the US is excited to invite India to join the initiative, as it is perhaps the only country in the world that can challenge China's dominance in terms of the volume of human talent.

Mint examines whether such an initiative can succeed, and why it is important.

What is the Pax Silica initiative?

The initiative aims to bring together countries across continents to collaborate on diversifying the supply chains of critical minerals such as lithium, rare-earth elements, g...