India, the world’s second-largest buyer of refined copper, has resumed discussions with Zambia about potential investments in copper and other critical minerals as New Delhi seeks overseas supplies to meet growing industrial demand. Officials from India’s Ministry of Mines held preliminary talks with Zambian counterparts on August 26, according to sources familiar with the discussions. The renewed engagement follows stalled negotiations over an earlier project involving a 9,000-square-kilometer mining area awarded to India. India’s overseas minerals strategy is expanding through Khanij Bidesh India Ltd, which is evaluating opportunities in countries including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Russia and Indonesia, while also discussing a project in Malawi. Industry representatives say Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo are especially important to meeting India’s rising demand for copper and cobalt because they have substantial reserves of the minerals.