Trump to Host Central Asian Leaders as US Shores Up Critical Mineral Supply

President Donald Trump is hosting Central Asian leaders at the White House on Nov. 6, amid fast-tracked efforts to de-risk supply chains from China. Five former Soviet, Central Asian nations—Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan—have joined the United States as the C5+1 diplomatic platform since 2015, making this summit its tenth anniversary. This year’s gathering will focus on strengthening economic and cultural ties, according to the State Department, including a panel discussion with business executives. It comes as Russia and China are strengthening ties and the United States competes with both authoritarian states for influence in the region, which has substantial economic ties to Russia and China....