Kazakhstan positions critical minerals as strategic lever amid US-China rivalry

September 1, 2026 at 10:00 AM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

Kazakhstan is moving to develop its rare and rare-earth metals sector as a strategic asset, with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev chairing a Security Council meeting on August 20. The government plans to expand geological exploration, build domestic processing, and attract technology and capital. The push comes as competition between the United States and China over critical supply chains intensifies.

Key Facts

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev chaired a Security Council meeting on critical materials development on August 20.
Tokayev ordered expanded geological exploration, domestic processing of rare and rare-earth metals, and use of technogenic mineral formations.
Kazakhstan holds a leading position in Central Asia in resource and production potential for critical materials, according to Tokayev.
China has repeatedly restricted exports of rare-earth metals and processing technologies amid trade and technology confrontation with the United States.

Security Council Directives

On August 20, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev convened the Security Council to discuss the development of critical materials, including rare and rare-earth metals. Following the meeting, Tokayev issued instructions covering expanded geological exploration, domestic processing of rare and rare-earth metals, and the use of technogenic mineral formations—mining and processing waste containing valuable elements. The directives also call for strengthening laboratory and personnel capacity in the sector and removing administrative barriers that hinder investor entry into projects. Tokayev stated that Kazakhstan occupies a leading position in Central Asia in resource and production potential for critical materials.

Global Competition

Competition for access to critical materials has intensified amid trade and technological confrontation between the United States and China. Beijing has repeatedly restricted exports of rare-earth metals and processing technologies. For Kazakhstan, where these metals occur in volumes that until recently were not seriously assessed, this opens a window of opportunity that will not remain open indefinitely.

Critical Materials Definition

Critical materials are minerals and metals that are irreplaceable for strategically important industries—electronics, defense, aerospace, renewable energy, batteries, and semiconductors—and whose supplies are vulnerable because they are concentrated in a narrow group of countries or companies. The category includes 17 rare-earth elements such as lanthanum, cerium, neodymium, dysprosium, scandium, and yttrium, as well as other metals like lithium, cobalt, tungsten, tantalum, niobium, beryllium, gallium, germanium, and rhenium.