The United States welcomed delegations from dozens of countries to a meeting in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday that was aimed at strengthening and diversifying supply chains for critical minerals. With large reserves of these minerals, Central Asia is emerging as a key player in U.S. plans to secure components deemed necessary for advances in technology, economic development, and national security.
“I don’t need to explain to anybody here that critical minerals are vital to the devices that we use every single day,” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in his opening remarks at the minister-level conference. “They power our infrastructure, our industry, and our national defense… Our goal is to have a global market that’s secure, a global supply that’s enduring and is available to everyone, every nation, at an affordable price.”
U.S. Vice President JD Vance also spoke at the event, saying the United States wants to form a trading bloc among allies and partners that expands production of critical minerals in an environment of stable prices and supply chains immune from disruption.
“By regulating imports to preserve free and fair competition within the preferential trading zone, we will elevate our nation’s miners and refiners, our investors and producers alike,” Vance said. “We are all on the same team, and we need to create the economic incentives that reward people for investing and building in our countries.”
The United States is seeking to counter China’s dominance of the critical minerals market. China is a key trading partner for Central Asia, whose countries aim to diversify their relationships among the major powers.
Foreign Minister Yermek Kosherbayev of Kazakhstan was among those slated to attend the critical minerals conference in the United States. The visit follows intensifying discussions involving the United States and Central Asian countries on how to develop trade and investment. On Wednesday, business leaders and government officials from Central Asia and the United States gathered in Kyrgyzstan’s capital, Bishkek, for the start of the second B5+1 Business Forum.
