By Admin 
US President Donald Trump will host the heads of five Central Asian countries Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan at an annual summit in Washington DC on Thursday (6 November 2025). The group of all these countries is known as C5+1. Through this, Trump wants to give a strong message to China and Russia. All these are countries that separated from the Soviet Union.
What is C5+1?
C5+1 was established in 2015 during the first meeting held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Then America and all these countries had resolved to strengthen mutual cooperation in the fields of trade, transport, energy and communication. In the year 2023, the then US President Joe Biden held a meeting with Central Asian leaders for the first time on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. This meeting took place after the Russia-Ukraine war broke out.
According to a statement issued by Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the two leaders discussed strengthening cooperation in 2023 to deal with security challenges, including threats such as cyber security, terrorism, extremism, illegal migration and narcotics trafficking.
Why is Trump eyeing Central Asian countries?
At present, Russia and China are also trying to make trade deals with these countries of Central Asia. In the first six months of Trump’s second term, the US signed trade deals worth a total of $12.4 billion with Central Asia, which includes rare earth minerals, security and aviation. China has shocked America in the field of rare earth minerals, hence Trump is trying to find another option for America by making trade deals with these countries.
Rare earth minerals are present in abundance in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. In April 2025, Kazakhstan discovered deposits of new earth minerals cerium, lanthanum neodymium and yttrium, which are used in making parts of smartphones and computer hard disks. These metals are estimated to be more than 20 million tonnes in the storage site located in Karagandy in central Kazakhstan. If this is really so, then this will be almost half of China’s rare earth minerals.
Trump is increasing the tension between China and Russia
If Donald Trump makes a deal on rare earth minerals with Central Asian countries, then their dependence on China will almost end. Not only this, America will also dominate the supply of these minerals. Till now China has a monopoly on this and Trump is busy finding a solution to it.
Even after separation from the Soviet Union, these countries have good relations with Russian President Putin. Trump is also trying to isolate Russia by bringing these countries into his fold. Putin has made an agreement to improve his relations with C5+1 countries in the year 2022.