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The electronics industry, arguably the biggest Make-in-India success story, could get a sustainable competitive edge globally on unexpected support from an otherwise strategic rival: China.
Beijing's move to ease export curbs on rare earth metals and critical minerals removes a critical input-supplies bottleneck for items such as electric cars, laptops, handphones, gaming consoles, or instruments with embedded software and display, industry executives told ET.
Besides stabilising costs, the end to import curbs is likely to open new opportunities for advanced research and manufacturing in the country.
Rare earth metals are crucial for manufacturing magnets used in electronics, electric vehicles (EVs), robotics, and next-generation technologies. Earlier, India's electronics ecosystem had experienced disruptions, with Foxconn's Hyderabad plant producing Apple AirPods facing supply shortages after the initial curbs.
Subhrakant Panda, managing director, Indian Metals and Ferro Alloys, said, “Industry will be relieved by China lifting its export curbs on rare earth elements and critical minerals. Moreover, it is a positive development which will aid in the normalisation of ties that are in mutual interest.”
The recent thaw in India-China relations will help to strengthen Beijing's industrial and diplomatic positions, Jason Oxman, President and CEO of Washington DC-based Information Technology Industry Council (ITI), told ET.
Beijing Boost
“Whenever the US vacates policy space, China wins. Where Washington pulls back from trade agreements or imposes tariffs, Beijing steps in with offers of tariff-free trade. That is a long-term risk to U.S. competitiveness,” he said.
India's electronics manufacturers also hailed the decision. Rajoo Goel, secretary general, Electronic Industries Association of India
The electronics industry, arguably the biggest Make-in-India success story, could get a sustainable competitive edge globally on unexpected support from an otherwise strategic rival: China.
Beijing's move to ease export curbs on rare earth metals and critical minerals removes a critical input-supplies bottleneck for items such as electric cars, laptops, handphones, gaming consoles, or instruments with embedded software and display, industry executives told ET.
Besides stabilising costs, the end to import curbs is likely to open new opportunities for advanced research and manufacturing in the country.
Rare earth metals are crucial for manufacturing magnets used in electronics, electric vehicles (EVs), robotics, and next-generation technologies. Earlier, India's electronics ecosystem had experienced disruptions, with Foxconn's Hyderabad plant producing Apple AirPods facing supply shortages after the initial curbs.
Subhrakant Panda, managing director, Indian Metals and Ferro Alloys, said, “Industry will be relieved by China lifting its export curbs on rare earth elements and critical minerals. Moreover, it is a positive development which will aid in the normalisation of ties that are in mutual interest.”
The recent thaw in India-China relations will help to strengthen Beijing's industrial and diplomatic positions, Jason Oxman, President and CEO of Washington DC-based Information Technology Industry Council (ITI), told ET.
Beijing Boost
“Whenever the US vacates policy space, China wins. Where Washington pulls back from trade agreements or imposes tariffs, Beijing steps in with offers of tariff-free trade. That is a long-term risk to U.S. competitiveness,” he said.
India's electronics manufacturers also hailed the decision. Rajoo Goel, secretary general, Electronic Industries Association of India (ELCINA), told ET, "The bigger hit was for Indian electronics companies in wearables and electric vehicles (EVs), which rely on rare earth magnets in larger quantities. We heard from companies such as Brandworks and boAt which faced difficulties due to shortages. EV makers were also impacted because rare earths are critical for motors and battery systems. However, I would add that while production slowed, no company had to completely shut down operations."
The main lesson from this short disruption is the importance of self-reliance and forward planning, he said. "Unlike China, India hasn't sufficiently invested in securing rare earth supply chains despite a decade of efforts to grow its electronics ecosystem. We need to anticipate such risks, prepare alternatives, and allocate resources for domestic exploration, research, and processing of these critical minerals," he said.
Analysts said that the disruption has exposed how vulnerable India is to global shocks in critical minerals — and how urgent it is for the country to build its own rare earth ecosystem.
Abhishek Bhatia, managing director and partner, BCG India, told ET: "Curbs on export on the select rare earth elements and related magnets from China to India presented significant production risks to industries like automotive, consumer electronics, and wind power, and any change in the current status will be a welcome relief to the industry."
China has a major global role across the rare earth value chain right from mining, oxide processing and downstream rare-earth industries accounting for more than 90% of global output with end products being leveraged across magnets, ceramics, catalysts, alloys etc, Bhatia explained.
Also Read: Foxconn subsidiary recalls around 300 engineers
'Atma-Nirbhar'
"This is where India should actively be looking to build self-reliance through strategic acquisitions of assets globally via mechanisms like KABIL as well as encouraging the private sector to invest across the exploration, mining and downstream value chain," Bhatia said.
KABIL, or Khanij Bidesh India Limited, is a joint venture company of three Indian public sector enterprises: NALCO, HCL, and MECL. Its primary goal is to secure the supply of critical and strategic minerals for India by identifying, exploring, and acquiring resources from overseas. KABIL is actively engaged in sourcing lithium and cobalt, among other minerals, from countries like Argentina and Australia.
A reliable supply, experts said, will help Indian manufacturers scale up production, stabilise costs of raw materials, and plan long-term investments in R&D.
Explaining the larger implications of China's policy shift, T Senthil Siva Subramanian, head, Institute Industry Interface Programme, Hindustan College of Science and Technology (Sharda Group of Institutions), Mathura, told ET, “Lifting export curbs on rare earth metals, particularly Yttrium, will catalyse growth in India's opto-electronics ecosystem. As the global leader in yttrium production, China's policy shift opens new avenues and enormous opportunities for India to accelerate innovation in advanced plasmonic sensing technologies.”
He explained that Yttrium's unique hydrogen-sensing properties make it suitable for plasmonic hydrogen gas sensors, and with India advancing indigenous chip design and fabrication, Yttrium-based Sensor Systems on Chip (YSoC) could emerge as a breakthrough.
Such sensors, he said, will be critical for defence, space exploration, and green energy initiatives, including the National Green Hydrogen Mission, Indian Semiconductor Mission, National Quantum Mission, and National Manufacturing Mission. The availability of rare earths, he added, will also empower Indian MSMEs to conduct research, innovate, and manufacture rare earth-based opto-electronic chips—marking a leap in India's domestic capability.
Source: EconomicTimes
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