India and Myanmar are strengthening cooperation in the rare earths sector following visits by Indian teams to the Southeast Asian country. According to reports from The Hindu BusinessLine, India's Ambassador to Myanmar Abhay Thakur outlined the growing bilateral collaboration during a speech at the opening of a mining forum in Mandalay on Wednesday. The cooperation in the mining sector has gained significant momentum over the last two years, with two Indian delegations on rare earths and critical minerals visiting Myanmar in December 2024 and February 2026. As reported by The Hindu BusinessLine, this development comes as New Delhi seeks alternative supplies of a strategic resource tightly controlled by China.
The matter received high-level attention during an official visit by junta chief turned president Min Aung Hlaing to India in May-June, as reported by The Hindu BusinessLine. Thakur emphasized that India's need for harnessing critical minerals, coupled with the benefits to Myanmar from sustainable mining, presents solid, win-win, short and long-term opportunities. The ambassador noted that cooperation in the mining sector has gained significant momentum over the last two years.
According to The Hindu BusinessLine, nearly half the world's supply of heavy rare earths is extracted from mines in Myanmar's Kachin state, which are then shipped to China for processing into magnets that power electric vehicles and wind turbines. At the Mandalay mining forum, Thakur announced that Indian firms in attendance include IREL, NTPC Mining, Himadri Specialty, Oceanic Sands, PrNd Metal & Magnets, and Jai Puri Holdings. He also mentioned that 'Midwest from India' has closely engaged with Myanmar in recent months and years, without specifying the nature of the involvement.
As reported by The Hindu BusinessLine, the collaboration represents India's strategy to diversify supplies of strategic resources that are currently dominated by China. Previous reports from Reuters have indicated that India has sought rare-earth samples via the rebel Kachin Independence Army (KIA), which controls Myanmar's main mining hubs near the Chinese border. The state-owned miner IREL and private firm Midwest Advanced Materials were among those involved in discussions to explore the collection and transportation of samples from mines under KIA control.
