India, Zambia restart critical minerals talks

India has resumed talks with Zambia over potential investments in copper and other critical minerals as it looks overseas to secure raw materials for its growing economy, Reuters reported.Officials from India’s Ministry of Mines held preliminary discussions with their Zambian counterparts last week (August 26), according to two people familiar with the talks.The discussions follow an earlier breakdown in negotiations over mining rights.Reuters reported in April that talks had stalled after India sought assurances over rights to a 9,000 square kilometre area awarded to it last year.The disputed project was not discussed during the latest talks, according to one of the sources.India has been pursuing critical mineral assets across Africa as well as Australia and Latin America.State-owned Khanij Bidesh India, India’s vehicle for securing critical mineral supplies overseas, is assessing opportunities in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Russia and Indonesia, and is also in talks over a project in Malawi.Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo are seen as potentially important sources of copper and cobalt for India.India is the world’s second-largest buyer of refined copper and has become increasingly reliant on imports since the closure of Vedanta’s Sterlite Copper smelter in 2018.The Indian government has estimated that the country may need to import between 91% and 97% of its copper concentrate requirements by 2047.The post India, Zambia restart critical minerals talks appeared first on Miningmx.Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Mining.com Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Mining.com