Australia and India have been formally invited to participate in an expanded Group of Seven finance ministers’ meeting hosted by the United States in Washington that will focus on securing global critical minerals supply chains, marking a deepening of strategic cooperation between advanced economies and key partner states.

The session, convened at the initiative of U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, will bring together finance ministers from the G7 — comprising the United States, Britain, Japan, France, Germany, Italy and Canada alongside the European Union — and invited partners to translate commitments agreed at last year’s G7 leaders’ summit into coordinated policy action.

Australia, long recognised for its abundant mineral resources and processing potential, is expected to contribute significantly to discussions aimed at diversifying access to essential inputs such as lithium, rare earth elements, cobalt and other resources critical to defence industries, renewable energy technologies and high-technology manufacturing.

Canberra’s invitation reflects its recent collaboration with Washington under an agreement signed in October that envisions an $8.5 billion project pipeline and the establishment of a strategic reserve to counter concentrated supply risks.

India’s invitation underscores New Delhi’s growing strategic relevance in global markets and emerging role in critical minerals value chains, even as it continues to evaluate whether to accept participation in the Washington talks.

U.S. officials have emphasised that the expanded G7 forum seeks to reduce dependence on dominant processors and suppliers, particularly at a time when China controls a significant share of global refining capacity and has recently tightened export controls on key elements such as rare earths and powerful magnets.

By involving Australia, India and other partner countries, the G7 aims to build resilience and transparency in supply chains, promote responsible sourcing standards and explore cooperative mechanisms for investment, stockpiling and emergency response.

The invitation to Canberra and New Delhi signals both governments’ strategic importance in shaping resilient and sustainable global supply networks for critical materials, a priority that aligns with broader economic and security objectives across the Indo-Pacific region and allied capitals.

As preparations advance ahead of the Washington meeting, officials emphasise that this outreach reflects broader efforts to forge pragmatic partnerships that can underpin economic stability and technological competitiveness in an era of transformative energy and industrial transitions.