The recent Washington summit of the “C5+1” format marks a pivotal moment in U.S. policy toward Central Asia (CA), setting clear priorities aimed at strengthening American influence in a region of growing geopolitical importance.
Central Asia has long stood at the crossroads of major geopolitical currents, yet U.S. engagement with the region has historically fluctuated. While the region’s location linking East and West, alongside its vast deposits of rare earth metals and critical minerals, makes it a vital space in global supply chains, inconsistent American policy has often limited Washington’s influence. Recognizing this gap, the U.S. has sharpened its focus on Central Asia as strategic competition with China intensifies, especially given Beijing’s dominant role in mining and processing rare earth minerals, controlling an estimated 70% of global production.
In 2019, the U.S. formalized its intentions with the “U.S. Strategy for Central Asia 2019-2025,” emphasizing sovereignty, economic prosperity, and security cooperation. The current Biden administration has continued to implement these objectives through a combination of diplomacy, economic initiatives, and regional partnerships framed around the “C5+1” platform – which includes the five Central Asian countries alongside the U.S.
Established in Samarkand in 2015 via a joint declaration on partnership and cooperation, the “C5+1” forum has become the central hub for America’s multilateral engagement in Central Asia. It fosters dialogue on security, economic development, human rights, and regional stability, particularly focusing on Afghanistan’s situation and broader anti-terrorism efforts.
The format’s evolution culminated in the first-ever heads-of-state summit in New York in September 2023, signaling a qualitative leap in cooperation. At this summit, President Biden launched the C5+1 Critical Minerals Dialogue (CMD), reflecting the strategic U.S. interest in the exploration, extraction, and processing of rare earth minerals and other strategic resources in the region.
Recognizing Central Asia’s resource wealth – ranging from Kazakhstan’s top-tier uranium production to Turkmenistan’s gas reserves and Tajikistan’s deposits of tantalum, cerium, and praseodymium – the U.S. has introduced ambitious economic initiatives. The “Economic Resilience in Central Asia” (ERICEN) program, launched in 2022, aims to diversify trade routes, boost SMEs, enhance cyber security, and develop human capital, including a flagship English language training initiative (The Online Professional English Network) which invests $5 million in fostering skills among young professionals.
In November 2023, another key development was the launch of the “B5+1” business platform, designed to deepen economic integration, stimulate innovation, and connect American and Central Asian companies directly. Such economic outreach aligns with broader goals to improve regulatory transparency, promote investment climate reform, and integrate regional markets into global supply chains.
Diplomatic efforts have been intensive and persistent. High-level visits by U.S. officials including Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s historic 2023 trip to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan reiterated Washington’s commitment to the region. Shuttle diplomacy involving top diplomats, security advisors, and representatives from USAID and the Department of Defense has been integral to sustaining momentum and coordinating multifaceted policies.
The Washington summit on November 6, 2025, featuring President Trump and all Central Asian leaders, underscored a mutual recognition of intertwined interests. Discussions ranged from access to critical minerals to renewable energy, regional transport corridors, economic projects, and security cooperation. This meeting also cemented multiple high-value agreements, with Kazakhstan securing $17 billion in contracts and Uzbekistan committing nearly $35 billion in investments spanning sectors such as aviation, energy, agriculture, infrastructure, and mineral extraction.
Transport infrastructure plays a crucial role in this strategy. The Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TMTM), or the Middle Corridor, offers a strategic alternative for cargo transport between China and Europe, bypassing Russia. Enhanced connectivity through Kazakhstan, the Caspian Sea zone, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey offers logistical advantages such as lower transit costs and reduced delivery times, which support supply chain diversification – a key U.S. objective.
Kazakhstan’s accession to the Abraham Accords further broadens regional cooperation opportunities by linking Central Asia with Israel, a close U.S. ally, and encouraging collaboration on security and economic fronts within the Greater Middle East framework. Similarly, U.S. interest in the Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline remains strong, despite technical challenges, supported by bipartisan endorsements in Congress reflecting its strategic relevance.
Three main priorities emerged from the summit: securing access to critical minerals, enhancing transport interconnectivity, and strengthening security coordination. These address the White House’s overarching goal of reducing regional dependence on China and Russia, while offering Central Asian states a diversified path to economic development that lessens their traditional reliance on neighboring powers.
However, hurdles remain. The region’s geographic remoteness and limited integration into global trade routes pose risks for large-scale American investment and business operations. Whether the U.S. can sustain and expand its role as an economic partner will depend on continued multilateral engagement, targeted infrastructure improvements, and successful institutionalization of frameworks like the C5+1 through mechanisms such as the permanent secretariat, coordination councils, and investment partnerships proposed by Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
The Washington C5+1 summit marks a watershed in U.S.-Central Asian relations, reflecting a pragmatic yet ambitious strategy tailored to geopolitical realities and economic opportunities. It combines intensive diplomacy with practical economic projects, reinforcing America’s presence in a region pivotal for global supply security and regional stability. As the U.S. intensifies its efforts to counterbalance China and Russia, Central Asia emerges not only as a resource hub but also as a vital partner in shaping a resilient and diversified Eurasian landscape.
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