In mid-February, the U.S. government struck an agreement with Uzbekistan to gain better access to the Central Asian country’s critical minerals. The Joint Investment Framework between the U.S. International Development Finance Corp. (DFC) and Central Asia’s most populous country sought to advance cooperation between the two nations by prioritizing investments across the critical mineral value chain, including exploration, extraction, and processing. The deal, described as “historic” by the DFC, also proposed a new U.S.-Uzbekistan Joint Investment Holding Co. for future minerals and infrastructure projects.

The move was the result of U.S. efforts since Trump’s return to the White House to court the five former Soviet republics of Central Asia and increase U.S. influence in a resource-rich region long dominated by Russia and, more recently, where China is striving to play a leading role.

In mid-February, the U.S. government struck an agreement with Uzbekistan to gain better access to the Central Asian country’s critical minerals. The Joint Investment Framework between the U.S. International Development Finance Corp. (DFC) and Central Asia’s most populous country sought to advance cooperation between the two nations by prioritizing investments across the critical mineral value chain, including exploration, extraction, and processing. The deal, described as “historic” by the DFC, also proposed a new U.S.-Uzbekistan Joint Investment Holding Co. for future minerals and infrastructure projects.

The move was the result of U.S. efforts since Trump’s return to the White House to court the five former Soviet republics of Central Asia and increase U.S. influence in a resource-rich region long dominated by Russia and, more recently, where China is striving to play a leading role.

But the United States is not alone in its courting of Central Asian nations. If Russia’s legacy presence in the region has been receding, overtaken by China, the European Union and the United Kingdom have strengthened their ties with the region, while Gulf nations such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have built important business partnerships in this field.

“It looks like the ‘Great Game,’” said Karim Dahou, the deputy director of global relations and cooperation at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), referring to the political and diplomatic confrontation that existed for most of the 19th century between the British and Russian empires over these areas. “There is intense competition over these region’s mineral resources amid a global race to access these resources.” Central Asia........

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