International reports in Central Asia; The seven countries consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and Mongolia are on the land with the largest rare land elements in the world.
Although this situation has been known for a long time by the USA and China, recent developments have significantly increased the importance of these reserves.
For; The role of rare soil elements in the transition to clean and clean energy in modern technology has brought these reserves to the center of international interest, and for a long time, China, the main functioning and supplier of these rare land elements, has started to reduce the supply of these elements to the West after Russia occupied Ukraine and following the following Western sanctions.
This decision forced the US and Western countries to look for alternative sources by focusing on these reserves and Central Asia in Ukraine.
On the other hand; Following the emergence of the Ukrainian war, it is seen that Central Asian countries want the West to be involved in this sector and reduce Russia’s control.
At this point, almost all states in Central Asia show great interest in putting the land elements in addition to the income they have obtained from the sale of oil and gas in the past.
However, it seems that; As in the oil industry, almost none of these countries do not have resources and technologies that will raise, process these reserves on their own, and consequently need cooperation.
In this reality, China, Russia, the United States and the West are involved in the Central Asian states.
The size and future of competition
In the region, in this area of seven countries consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and Mongolia, global organizations such as Jamestown Faundation, such as Jamestown Faundation, described this struggle with a “great game” competition of Russia and Britain in Central Asia.
However, this “big game”, which took place in the 21st century, includes a very different and much wider group of participants.
Representatives of the Central Asian states invite many countries to their capitals to discuss the development of rare land elements in the region, while the steps of Chinese and Western countries, which know the opportunity to reduce the influence of Russian power in the region due to the Ukrainian war, reveal a new competitive environment in the region.
According to international reports, China controls almost all of rare land mining in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, especially in Africa and makes major investments to integrate this region into its dominance.
According to Jamestown Faundation, China’s investments in this issue only in the last 3 years have reached dozens of billion dollars.
According to reports, China also; It supports its steps through contracts in order to use its increasing influence in the global geopolitical field.
On the other hand, Russia is in this struggle, even though it is weakened.
However, since Russia is stuck due to the Ukrainian agenda, it is interested in the war with Ukraine, while welcoming that China is involved in the rare land elements of Central Asia in order to limit the influence of the West in the region.
On the other hand, Kremlin continues to use its influence over the countries of the region, fearing that the entry of new participants in the rare land market will reduce the prices and this will bring great costs to the Russian economy.
According to reports, Russia, which consists of all these balances, is focused on the development of oil and natural gas, just as in its own country, on its domain in Central Asia.
But he believes that the West’s search for rare land elements is part of the West’s “new colonialism” against the interests of Moscow, and struggles to avoid being insensitive.
On the other hand, rare earth elements in the region give Central Asian governments the opportunity to use a foreign country against another, while making their countries open to some real dangers.
It is clear that the rare land elements struggle between “Great Powers” and the latest statements of Trump, which emerged in Ukraine, will include Central Asia and will sit on the agenda of the world in the near future.
