Australia and India have been invited to join a Group of Seven (G7) finance ministers’ meeting in Washington to address global critical minerals supply chain challenges, underscoring growing geopolitical focus on diversifying access to essential resources.

The invitation, extended by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, follows advocacy for a dedicated discussion on critical minerals that began after the previous G7 leaders’ summit and a virtual ministerial session held in December, reflecting intensified international concern over supply vulnerabilities and strategic dependencies.

The meeting is scheduled to take place on January 12, with officials from advanced economies set to discuss frameworks to strengthen cooperation, increase supply resilience and reduce reliance on dominant suppliers.

The G7 comprises the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, France, Germany, Italy and Canada, alongside representation from the European Union, and has been working to implement a broader Critical Minerals Action Plan adopted at the leaders’ summit in mid-2025. That plan, endorsed by Australia and India among other invited partners, seeks to create diversified and transparent supply chains for minerals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel and rare earth elements that are crucial for renewable energy technologies, electric vehicles, semiconductors and defense industries.

The inclusion of Australia and India — key producers and consumers in the global minerals market — reflects their strategic roles in mitigating supply risks and supporting resilience in critical resource flows.

While Bessent confirmed India’s invitation, it was not immediately clear whether New Delhi had formally accepted the meeting participation.

For Canberra, invitation to the Washington talks dovetails with recent initiatives, including a substantial agreement with the United States to establish strategic reserves and development pipelines for critical minerals, aimed partly at countering concentrated processing capacity in other parts of the world.

Officials emphasize that cooperation with partners beyond the core G7 membership will be central to advancing shared objectives of secure and sustainable mineral access, and discussions at the meeting are expected to explore coordinated policies, investment frameworks and long-term strategies to buffer global industries against market disruptions and geopolitical tensions.