As global demand for critical minerals accelerates amid energy transition and technological transformation, Latin America is rapidly emerging as a strategic partner in India’s long-term economic and geopolitical planning. Rich in lithium, copper, rare earths, and other essential resources, the region occupies a vital position in India’s quest for supply-chain resilience, clean energy leadership, and strategic autonomy. Increasingly, this engagement is being framed not merely as resource access, but as a structured Global South partnership grounded in diplomacy, sustainability, and mutual growth.

These evolving dynamics were recently examined at discussions hosted by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), where policymakers, diplomats, and strategic thinkers highlighted the growing convergence between India and Latin America. Harsh Pant, Vice President for Studies and Foreign Policy at ORF, underscored that India’s outreach to the region reflects a broader recalibration of its foreign policy priorities. He noted that as India’s global profile rises, securing dependable partnerships for critical minerals has become central to sustaining economic growth, industrial expansion, and climate commitments. Pant emphasised that Latin America offers India not just resources, but politically stable and like-minded partners within the Global South.

From the Latin American perspective, the interest in deeper engagement with India is equally strong. Juan Angulo, a senior Latin American diplomat and policy voice, highlighted that India’s emergence as a major global economic force has prompted countries across the region to look eastward with renewed seriousness. He observed that cooperation with India is increasingly viewed as a pathway to diversify partnerships beyond traditional markets, while also advancing development objectives aligned with sustainability, technology transfer, and value addition.

Argentina has emerged as a cornerstone of this expanding relationship. Reinforcing this momentum, Argentine Ambassador Mariano A. Caucino stated that India and Latin American nations enjoy a high degree of economic complementarity, which continues to enhance India’s relationships across most countries in the region. Highlighting the depth of bilateral ties, Caucino observed that the bond between “Argentina and India has been solidifying to the extent that India is now one of the six main trading partners of his country.” Placing this cooperation within a wider global context, the envoy added that “as India is heading a significant rise in global power becoming the most populous nation on Earth and the fourth largest global economy,” collaboration in sectors such as critical minerals, energy, and infrastructure naturally assumes greater strategic importance.

Beyond Argentina, India’s engagement with Bolivia, home to some of the world’s largest lithium reserves, has gained momentum. Discussions have increasingly centred on sustainable extraction, technology collaboration, and capacity building, reflecting India’s preference for long-term partnerships rather than short-term commodity transactions. Paraguay and Ecuador also feature prominently in this regional sweep, offering opportunities for Indian investment, technical cooperation, and institutional collaboration across mining, renewable energy, and infrastructure development.

For India, the Latin minerals push is closely tied to strategic autonomy. Reducing overdependence on limited geographies, ensuring ethical sourcing, and aligning mineral procurement with climate goals are now policy imperatives. Latin America’s democratic institutions, resource endowments, and shared developmental priorities make it a natural partner in this endeavour.

The Indian diaspora across Latin America adds a crucial people-to-people dimension to this engagement. Entrepreneurs, professionals, and academics of Indian origin are increasingly facilitating business linkages, policy dialogue, and cultural understanding, lending continuity and trust to relationships that are designed to endure beyond political cycles.

As India advances towards becoming a $10 trillion economy, access to critical minerals will be indispensable. Latin America, with its vast resources and growing strategic alignment with India’s worldview, stands poised to play a defining role in this journey. The minerals beneath its soil may power batteries and industries, but the partnerships being forged today signal something far more enduring — a shared Global South vision anchored in balance, resilience, and long-term cooperation.