Donald Trump and the officials from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan held bilateral meetings in the Oval Office before having a working dinner
US President Donald Trump (third left) listens to Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev (seated opposite him) during a dinner with Central Asian leaders at the White House in Washington DC, on Thursday. Pic/AFP
US President Donald Trump hosted leaders of five Central Asian countries at the White House on Thursday as he intensifies his hunt for rare earth metals needed for high-tech devices, including smartphones, electric vehicles and fighter jets.
Trump and the officials from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan held bilateral meetings in the Oval Office before having a working dinner.
“These nations were once home to the ancient Silk Road connecting East and West,” Trump said, while noting that “sadly, previous American presidents neglected this region completely”. He added, “I understand the importance of this region but a lot of people don’t know that.”
The White House visits followed Trump managing at least a temporary thaw with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on differences between the US and China over the export of rare earth elements, a key point of friction in their trade negotiations.
Early last month, Beijing expanded export restrictions over vital rare earth elements and magnets before announcing after Trump-Xi talks in South Korea last week that China would delay its new restrictions by one year. Washington is now looking for new ways to circumvent China on critical minerals.
China accounts for nearly 70 per cent of the world’s rare earth mining and controls roughly 90 per cent of global rare earths processing. Central Asia holds deep reserves of rare earth minerals and produces roughly half the world’s uranium, which is critical to nuclear power production. But the region badly needs investment to further develop the resources.
During his dinner with Central Asian leaders at the White House, Trump announced that Kazakhstan will become the first country to join the Abraham Accords during his second term, marking a new phase in his administration’s West Asia and Central Asia diplomacy. “I am delighted to report that Kazakhstan, a tremendous country with a tremendous leader, has officially joined the Abraham Accords,” Trump said.
1991
Year Central Asian nations became independent
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