From July 22nd to 23rd, the China-Kazakhstan Nonferrous Metallurgy Sustainable Development Forum was held in Kazakhstan. At the forum, Nurlan Respanov, President of the National Academy of Mining Sciences of Kazakhstan, proposed a noteworthy suggestion: many mineral deposits are located on both sides of the border. Currently, some mineral resources on the Chinese side are already under development, while some deposits on the Kazakh side remain in the reserve stage.

According to a report by Asia Express News Agency on July 13, Tajikistan's Minister of Industry and New Technologies, Sheral Kabir, stated that approximately 80% of the equipment for the Namadgut lithium mine project in the Ishkashim district of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region has arrived in Tajikistan, and the project is scheduled to commence within one year.

As of early July 2026, three significant changes have emerged in Central Asia's key mineral sector: Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have begun to integrate exploration, smelting, and deep processing into their integrated industrial plans; the United States has intervened in geological data, investment, logistics, and offtake agreements through the C5+1 mechanism; and Central Asian countries are leveraging competition from the US, China, and Europe to enhance their bargaining power over resources. The current focus of competition lies in controlling exploration data, financing, processing technology, transportation routes, and final sales contracts.