Trump Hosts C5+1 Summit on Critical Minerals

President Donald Trump hosted leaders from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan at the White House on Thursday, convening the first such summit there to advance U.S. access to critical minerals like rare earth elements essential for smartphones, electric vehicles and military technology. The gathering, part of the C5+1 framework, underscored Washington's push to diversify supply chains amid ongoing trade frictions with China.

The leaders held bilateral meetings in the Oval Office before a working dinner. Trump described the region as historically significant along the ancient Silk Road and noted that previous U.S. administrations had overlooked its potential. "I understand the importance of this region, but a lot of people don't know that," he said. The summit followed recent talks between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea, where Beijing agreed to delay new export restrictions on rare earth elements and magnets by one year. Those restrictions, announced last month, had heightened tensions in U.S.-China trade negotiations. China produces nearly 70 percent of the world's rare earths and processes about 90 percent, prompting the U.S....