The urgency of the climate crisis is sharpening global debates about how to secure the resources needed for a clean energy transition. Lithium, cobalt, nickel and rare earth elements are the backbone of decarbonization. Without them, batteries cannot store renewable energy, electric vehicles cannot replace fossil fuel-powered cars, and wind and solar systems cannot scale up quickly enough. Control over these minerals is no longer a technical issue, but a climate imperative.
For decades, China has dominated this space. Through extensive state-backed investment, Beijing commands much of the mining and, more critically, almost all the refining.
This concentration creates not just economic dependence, but also a climate bottleneck. If clean energy technologies must pass through a single gatekeeper, their deployment would be vulnerable to political pressures and supply disruptions.
India and Taiwan together can provide part of the solution. India has domestic reserves, from lithium in Jammu and Kashmir to nickel in Odisha, and is securing access to mineral assets abroad.
Although lacking in natural deposits, Taiwan has advanced technology in processing, metallurgy and materials integration. Marrying India’s resources with Taiwan’s refining know-how can create climate-aligned supply chains that are cleaner, more resilient and more sustainable.
The logic is straightforward. Indian feedstock, refined with Taiwanese technology, can provide the raw materials for batteries, semiconductors and renewable infrastructure. Processing hubs in India, guided by Taiwan’s technical expertise, would reduce dependence on China while accelerating climate action.
Such facilities should not only serve industrial growth, but also be designed as climate-smart hubs powered by renewables, minimizing emissions. By anchoring climate responsibility into industrial cooperation, India and Taiwan can set a regional benchmark.
Policy frameworks must reinforce this orientation. Incentives such as tax benefits should be tied to low-carbon refining, cleaner chemistry and recycling. India cannot afford to replicate China’s ecologically damaging industrial pathways, and Taiwan’s experience in balancing growth with emissions control offers a clear reference. The partnership should link mineral cooperation to climate objectives, ensuring that supply chains serve national and international climate pledges.
Stakeholders beyond government and industry have a critical role. Universities and research institutes can lead in developing cleaner refining methods and energy-efficient processes. Civil society and local communities in mining regions must also be included. Their concerns over land, water and air quality connect directly to climate justice.
The timing is crucial. To limit warming to 1.5°C, global deployment of clean energy needs to accelerate dramatically over the next decade. That surge depends on secure and sustainable mineral supply chains, with the US, the EU, Japan and South Korea already racing to lock in supplies. India and Taiwan should not fall behind.
Earlier Taipei Times commentaries (“Solar is a necessary energy option,” July 17, page 8; “Asia’s emerging climate triangle,” July 20, page 8) highlighted solar power and trilateral cooperation as promising areas. Critical minerals are even more fundamental. Without them, the green transition cannot advance. By acting now, India and Taiwan can directly contribute to global climate goals while also strengthening their partnership.
A joint study could map India’s reserves and Taiwan’s processing strengths, with climate impact assessments built in. A pilot lithium or cobalt facility in India, operated with Taiwanese technology, could serve as a production hub and a research center for climate-friendly refining. Transparent reporting on emissions, water use and recycling rates would ensure accountability. Success could then be scaled to other minerals and linked to regional partners such as Japan and Australia, creating a broader climate-oriented supply chain alliance.
Structured this way, the India-Taiwan nexus would reduce reliance on China, while demonstrating that democracies can lead the fight against climate change. Together, smaller economies can punch above their weight.
Therefore, critical minerals are more than economic assets. They are instruments of climate responsibility. India and Taiwan can move from being vulnerable participants to active shapers of a climate-aligned global economy. By combining India’s resources with Taiwan’s technology, the two partners can create a supply chain that supports clean energy, advances regional stability and strengthens the global fight against climate change.
In an era of intensifying climate risks, the world needs cooperative models that deliver security and sustainability.
An India-Taiwan critical minerals nexus, rooted in climate responsibility, could show that the fight against climate change is won not by monopolies and coercion, but by trust and partnership.
Sutandra Singha is an independent researcher with a doctorate in international studies from Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, specializing in climate change.
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