The U.S. government has signed an agreement with Uzbekistan to secure better access to the Central Asian country’s critical minerals, as U.S. President Donald Trump moves to counter China’s dominance of crucial resources and their supply chains.
The “Joint Investment Framework” between the U.S. International Development Finance Corp (DFC) and Central Asia’s most populous nation aims to advance the two countries’ strategic cooperation, an outline of the plan from the DFC said.
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It will prioritise investments across the critical mineral value chain including exploration, extraction and processing, and proposes a new U.S.–Uzbekistan Joint Investment Holding Company for future minerals and infrastructure projects, the DFC’s plan said.
Uzbekistan’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
