Sao Paulo, Brazil — Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi signed a bilateral agreement on critical minerals and rare earth elements on Saturday.
The goal, according to the signed document, is to promote “mutual investment” in exploration, mining and infrastructure development for rare earth elements (REEs) and critical minerals in both countries.
The deal comes amid a global race to secure access to materials vital for the production of smartphones, advanced weapons and renewable energy technologies.
The deal comes as India seeks to expand domestic semiconductor production while reducing its dependence on China for these materials. Meanwhile, Brazil currently has the world’s second largest REE repository after China.
The deal also focuses on collaborating on geological survey projects to identify areas with the highest deposits of critical minerals such as lithium, nickel, cobalt, etc. He also said that the two countries expect to expand information exchange between their respective scientific communities.
According to data published in August 2025 by the Brazilian Geological Survey and collected by the United States Geological Survey (USGS), Brazil has the world’s second-largest rare earth reserves at approximately 21 million tons, with the largest reserves located in China.
Rare earth elements are a chemical subset of 17 elements. They exist in large quantities throughout the world and, despite their name, are not rare, but they are concentrated in specific locations, stimulating geopolitical concentration around these minerals and technological commodities.
According to a statement from the Brazilian government, the two countries signed a total of 11 trade agreements during the visit.
In addition to rare earth elements, agreements were also reached in the areas of education, health, postal services, technology and entrepreneurship.
The joint statement released by the two governments also included references to artificial intelligence regulation, including “equitable distribution of AI benefits and access to key resources for developing AI solutions.”
Lula was invited by Modi to attend the AI Impact Summit held in New Delhi from February 19 to 21.
The statement signed by the Lula and Modi governments stated that “the leaders encouraged both sides to cooperate” on the adoption, development and implementation of AI, including a regulatory framework for data protection, through the participation of ecosystems and centers of excellence in both countries.
Featured image: President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva attends an official welcome ceremony with Prime Minister of the Republic of India Narendra Modi and President of the Republic of India Droupadi Murmu at the Presidential Palace (Rashtrapati Bhavan). New Delhi — India. Photo: Ricardo Stuckert / PR
