U.S. President Donald Trump prepared to host the leaders of five Central Asian nations at the White House on Thursday as part of Washington’s ongoing bid to bolster its sway in the mineral-rich region. But for the so-called C5—consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan—Thursday’s talks are about maintaining a delicate balance between seeking U.S. investments and not angering Russia and China, which have long dominated influence in the region.
Thursday’s meeting will address bilateral cooperation across a host of sectors, including energy logistics, infrastructure investments, technology transfers, educational exchanges, and water-resource management. At the top of the agenda, though, will be negotiations over critical minerals. China’s restrictions on rare-earth exports, some of which were paused during negotiations with the United States last week, as well as Beijing’s overwhelming monopoly on processing the vital minerals have driven Washington to seek alternative places to both procure the raw materials and process them.
U.S. President Donald Trump prepared to host the leaders of five Central Asian nations at the White House on Thursday as part of Washington’s ongoing bid to bolster its sway in the mineral-rich region. But for the so-called C5—consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan—Thursday’s talks are about maintaining a delicate balance between seeking U.S. investments and not angering Russia and China, which have long dominated influence in the region.
Thursday’s meeting will address bilateral cooperation across a host of sectors, including energy logistics, infrastructure investments, technology transfers, educational exchanges, and water-resource management. At the top of the agenda, though, will be negotiations over critical minerals. China’s restrictions on rare-earth exports, some of which were paused during negotiations with the United States last week, as well as Beijing’s overwhelming monopoly on processing the vital minerals have driven Washington to seek alternative places to both procure the raw materials and process them.
Cue Central Asia, which has a wealth of oil, gas, and energy reserves and is also looking to diversify its economic and security partnerships away from Russia and China, particularly after Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 left the former Soviet states concerned for their own safety.
Still, though, competition over Central Asia remains fierce. In June, Chinese President Xi Jinping attended C5 talks in Kazakhstan to boost Central Asian involvement in Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative. And last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin joined a C5 summit in Tajikistan to strengthen military cooperation.
Read more in today’s World Brief: Trump Seeks to Counter Russia, China in Their Own Backyard.
This post is part of FP’s ongoing coverage of the Trump administration. Follow along here.
