The power grab over rare-earth minerals in Central Asia could be among the issues he will seek to exploit.
AdvertisementA power struggle over rare-earth mineralsAt stake for the US in Central Asia is not just political power but access to the region's reserves of rare-earth minerals such as uranium, lithium, and tantalum.
Rare-earth minerals are needed to make all sorts of products, from F-35 stealth fighters and smartphones to internet fiber-optic cables and MRI machines.
It produces around 60% of the world's rare-earth minerals and processes nearly 90%, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
"There are rare-earth minerals worth exploring/exploiting, and if the US/EU could strike a major deal with [Kazakhstan's capital] Astana, this would certainly contribute to breaking China's monopoly," said Wolff.
Persons:
Donald Trump, —, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Xi, Putin, he'd, Wilder Alejandro Sánchez, ALEXANDER RYUMIN, Emmanuel Macron, Olaf Scholz, John Herbst, Stefan Wolff, Wolff, Herbst, Trump
Organizations:
Service, Putin, The Republican, Biden, Getty Images, Center for Strategic, International Studies, University of Birmingham, BI, Trump, EU, Astana, Central Asia Summit, Getty Images Central, Central, China
Locations:
Russia, China, Central Asia, Mongolia, Saudi, Getty Images China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Xian, Shaanxi, FLORENCE, Ukraine, Soviet Union, Washington, Moscow, Beijing