Central Asia’s Critical Minerals Rush: Between the US and China
An open-pit gold mine developed by KAZ Minerals in the Jalal-Abad region of Kyrgyzstan on June 26, 2018.
In June, Central Asia hosted the world’s largest critical-minerals conference. The Astana Minerals and Mining Conference was held from June 11–12 in Kazakhstan ’s capital.
Why it matters
Securing Central Asian minerals is crucial for U.S. tech and defense supply chains and to counter China's growing influence.