Kazakhstan is willing to supply 20 of the 60 minerals considered critical to the U.S., Kazakh Foreign Minister Yermek Kosherbayev said during the first ministerial conference on critical minerals in Washington, according to the Kazinform news agency.
Delegations from more than 50 countries attended the conference last week. During the event, U.S. Vice President JD Vance warned that the global market for critical minerals is weakening. He said supply chains remain fragile and prices continue to fluctuate sharply, while China accounts for more than 80% of global critical mineral supplies.
Read also: US moves to counter China on minerals with new Kazakhstan pact.
Notably, Kazakhstan could emerge as a global leader in the production of lithium, cobalt, copper, and rare earth metals, according to an analysis by the Astana International Financial Centre. Demand for lithium alone could increase 42-fold by 2040, the review said.
The country currently produces 19 of the 34 rare earth elements considered essential to the world’s economy, including beryllium, tantalum, niobium, and rhenium — metals widely used in electronics, defense, energy, and telecommunications — according to the Geology Committee of the Ministry of Industry and Construction. More than 100 deposits of rare and rare-earth elements have been identified nationwide.
