Can Quad break China’s mineral monopoly amid US-India rift?

AI Summary

The recent US strike on an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman has strained US-India relations and raised questions about the unity of the Quad group. The informal bloc, comprising the US, Japan, Australia, and India, aims to reduce China's control over critical minerals despite internal divisions.

The US strike on an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman earlier this month did more than kill three Indian sailors and severely undercut US-India relations. It has also cast further doubt on the unity of the Quad, an informal bloc made up of the United States, Japan, Australia and India, and the group’s ambitious agenda aimed at loosening China’s dominant grip on critical minerals. Despite the persistent US-India fissures that could slow down the Quad’s momentum, however, a counter-unifying force may...