Lot of Life and Logic to Quad: USIBC

• USIBC said Quad's announcements on critical minerals, energy security and ports show the grouping has "lot of life and logic" after New Delhi meeting.

• Quad launched Critical Minerals Framework and Quad Fuel Security Forum amid Strait of Hormuz disruptions causing fuel price volatility.

• USIBC sees strong commercial potential in TRUST framework, civilian nuclear power, data centres, defence co-production and bilateral trade framework progress.

Announcements on critical minerals, energy security and maritime ports demonstrate that there is a "lot of life and logic" to the Quad, the US-India Business Council (USIBC) said here after the foreign ministers' meeting of the grouping this week in New Delhi.

The Quad, comprising the United States, India, Australia and Japan, announced the critical minerals framework, an energy-security initiative, and taking up a joint project to upgrade the port infrastructure in Fiji at the foreign ministers' meeting in New Delhi on Tuesday.

The Quad meeting, hosted by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, was attended by Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

"This week's announcements on energy security, critical minerals, and maritime ports demonstrate there is a lot of life and logic to the Quad and hosting the meeting in New Delhi, capping off Secretary Rubio's landmark visit, reinforces India's role as a vital global partner," USIBC President Atul Keshap said in a statement here on Wednesday.

The USIBC also welcomed the signing of the US-India Framework on Critical Minerals and Rare Earths during Rubio's visit to India.

The framework creates actionable pathways for investment, off-take agreements, co-development and technology partnerships spanning mining, processing and rare earth magnet value chains, the USIBC said.

The Quad’s Critical Minerals Framework, announced at this meeting, further reinforces the multilateral architecture underpinning these bilateral gains. The USIBC also welcomed the meeting's energy-security outcomes.

The USIBC said the launch of the Quad Fuel Security Forum and the broader Quad Initiative on Indo-Pacific Energy Security were timely and consequential steps given the disruptions to key maritime routes -- including through the Strait of Hormuz -- that has led to fuel and fertiliser price volatility across the Indo-Pacific.

"India's central role in this architecture -- as both one of the world's largest crude importers and an emerging clean energy hub -- positions it as a natural partner for US companies seeking to invest in energy resilience across the region," it said.

The USIBC said the Quad momentum on trusted digital infrastructure, undersea cable connectivity and next-generation communications standards; Ports of the Future and bio-manufacturing and pharmaceutical supply chain resilience represents a concrete commercial opening for US and Indian businesses operating across the Indo-Pacific.

"At the bilateral level, USIBC sees strong commercial potential in the TRUST framework for strategic technology cooperation, civilian nuclear power and data centres, defence co-production, and progress toward a long-overdue bilateral trade framework - all signalling the full depth of ambition the US-India partnership can deliver," it said.

The USIBC will work closely with industry partners to support the implementation of these frameworks and open avenues for commercial, trade and investment cooperation across all priority areas, the statement said.