Signal Washington courts Central Asia on critical minerals and energy to decouple from China

Summary

On economic security the second Trump administration is pursuing tariffs, limits on advanced technology transfers to China and decoupling from China in supply and value chains. The report observes that the United States is approaching Eurasian states strategically, strengthening cooperation on critical materials including rare earths and on energy to help its decoupling from China. Apart from some minerals such as rare earths and the energy sector, however, Washington finds the region of little interest for investment and trade. The United States and Europe appear to believe they can obtain what they need in Eurasia with minimal resource investment. The authors caution that reality differs sharply from Western expectations and that a considerable gap separates the two sides.