US-Central Asia Summit: A Strategic Pivot for Rare Earths

President Donald Trump is scheduled to host leaders from five Central Asian nations at the White House on Thursday, focusing on acquiring rare earth metals essential for modern technology like smartphones and electric vehicles.

The summit with leaders from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan follows a temporary resolution in trade tensions between the US and China over rare earth elements. China, a major player controlling a significant share of global rare earth processing, recently delayed new export restrictions after talks with Trump.

Central Asia, with extensive reserves of rare earth minerals and uranium crucial for nuclear power, seeks investment to develop these resources. US legislators are pushing to repeal outdated trade restrictions to foster American investment, strengthening geopolitical ties amid Russian and Chinese influence in the region.