On Thursday (November 6), President Donald Trump will host a summit at the White House with leaders from the Central Asian Five (C5) countries, marking a significant increase in America’s relations with this energy- and mineral-rich region as an attempt to counter Chinese and Russian influence.
This will be the first time a U.S. president hosts leaders from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan at the White House. The meeting is in commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the “C5+1” mechanism.
Given China’s recent restrictions on the export of rare earth minerals and other critical minerals during the trade war, cooperation between the U.S. and the region has become more urgent. The summit is expected to focus on issues such as critical mineral and energy cooperation.
Ahead of the summit, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with the foreign ministers of the Central Asian Five on Wednesday (November 5), emphasizing that American interests align with those of Central Asian countries to collaboratively develop their natural resources responsibly for economic diversification.
“You want to take the resources that God has given you in your country and turn them into responsible development so that you can diversify your economy,” Rubio said, adding, “I personally intend to visit in the coming year.”
“Visiting all five countries,” he said, “so I understand that might be a one-week trip. We have to work together to make this happen.”
The Central Asian Five countries are renowned for their mineral and energy resources, and a majority of their population is Muslim. Due to Russia’s historical ties as the Soviet Union in the region until 1991, Central Asia still maintains close economic connections to Moscow. The neighboring China also holds commercial influence in the area.
However, since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, prompting massive Western sanctions, Central Asian countries are increasingly seeking economic and security diversification to reduce reliance on Russia.
Current U.S. cooperation with Central Asia has already translated into concrete business agreements:
– Mineral Security: Washington has been actively involved in negotiations, facilitating U.S. company Cove Capital’s entrance into one of the world’s largest undeveloped tungsten deposits in Kazakhstan. The company has also reached agreements with Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Mining for geological exploration at promising sites.
– Major Business Deals: Uzbekistan Airways agreed earlier this year to purchase Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, marking the airline’s largest order valued at over $8 billion. Additionally, Kazakhstan and American company Wabtec signed a $4.2 billion railway agreement.
To foster further business cooperation, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee James Risch announced during a State Department press briefing that he will introduce a bill to abolish the “Jackson-Vanik trade rules,” which were implemented during the Cold War to restrict trade between the U.S. and non-market economies.
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau and Trump’s Special Envoy to Central Asia Sergio Gor visited the two largest economies in the region, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, last week in preparation for the upcoming summit this week.
Landau stated, “There are amazing commercial opportunities there, a lot of potential for cooperation.”
As per a post-meeting statement, Landau met with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to discuss the potential of becoming “mutually beneficial partners” in energy, critical minerals, transportation, and logistics. The U.S. State Department noted that Landau held discussions on economic and security issues with officials in Uzbekistan.
While the U.S. seeks to strengthen ties, the EU is also actively looking to deepen relationships with the Central Asian countries.
In April of this year, the EU signed a strategic partnership with these former Soviet states, including an investment plan of up to €12 billion (approximately $13.8 billion).
However, both China and Russia continue to extend their reach into the region. Last month, Russian President Putin held a Central Asian summit in Tajikistan. In June, Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Kazakhstan, promoting investments in the “Belt and Road” infrastructure initiative.
Kate Mallinson, a partner at London-based strategic intelligence firm PRISM, stated that while Central Asian countries seek Western investment to counter China’s influence, Beijing remains determined to expand in the region. Combined with Russia’s efforts to keep Western powers out of its “backyard,” this may limit the U.S. and EU’s access to key Central Asian minerals and resources.