To set a constructive tone for cooperation, U.S. officials should recognize Central Asian states’ multi-vector stance on critical minerals and other trade issues. A zero-sum approach in which the U.S. seeks to dominate access to minerals and rare earths is unfeasible, Dzhuraev said, adding that China’s role as the region’s dominant trade partner ensures that such a strategy would backfire.
Despite the flurry of discussions, regional experts aren’t expecting the Nov. 6 summit to yield a major announcement on the critical minerals issue. The “quick, short notice” nature of the summit means it “is unlikely to make much of an inroad” on such a “sensitive and complex” issue as the development of the critical minerals sector, predicted Emilbek Dzhuraev, a political scientist at the OSCE Academy in Bishkek.
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