"India is short of critical minerals. Australia has a large
reserve of critical minerals that go into (electric
vehicle)batteries, which isn't fully processed or manufactured
presently," Goyal told a news conference after meeting
Australia's trade and tourism minister, Don Farrell.
Critical minerals, along with space technology and opportunities
in the digital sector, will be key areas of the planned deal,
Farrell said.
The meeting followed a summit in New Delhi on Friday between the
Asia nations' prime ministers, Narendra Modi and Anthony
Albanese.
India and Australia hope to complete by year's end an ambitious,
comprehensive trade deal that has been stuck in negotiations for
over a decade.
It would expand on a free trade deal the two signed last year,
the first between India and a developed country in a decade. The
Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement came into effect in
December, removing duties on 96% of Indian exports to Australia
and 85% of Australian exports to India.
(Reporting by Shivangi Acharya; Editing by William Mallard)
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