30th Parliamentary Intelligence-Security Forum – Energy and Critical Minerals – Sustaining Global Supply Chains

Dr. Dasgupta highlighted the geopolitical importance of critical minerals such as lithium, cobalt, and rare earth elements, calling them the foundation of military readiness, technological innovation, and economic stability.

He warned that the free world faces a severe vulnerability: overdependence on China, which controls most of the global processing capacity. This dependency, he argued, threatens sovereignty and invites coercion.

Dr. Dasgupta advocated for “economic statecraft” and strategic deal-making to diversify supply chains, forge alliances with mineral-rich partners, encourage domestic production, and reduce exposure to adversarial states.

He concluded that securing critical minerals is essential not only for national defense but for global democratic resilience.