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.

Significant progress has been made in mining cooperation between Kazakhstan and Afghanistan. During the opening ceremony of the Kazakhstan Trade House in Kabul, Sharkia Zinc, a subsidiary of Kazakhstan's state-owned mining group, and Afghan German Bakhtar Company of Afghanistan officially signed a zinc ore supply contract, marking a substantial step forward in cooperation between the two countries in the mineral resources sector.

According to Tajikistan's Asia+ news agency, a new round of talks between the United States and Central Asian countries under the "C5+1" framework was held in Astana, focusing on cooperation in key mineral resources.

Tajikistan's Minister of Industry and New Technologies, Sheral Kabir, met with Hou Chengguang, Chairman and General Manager of China National Gold Group (Hong Kong) Limited, in Beijing. Unlike a simple courtesy visit, this meeting directly addressed a core challenge in Tajikistan's industrial development: how to transform its abundant mineral resources from mere primary export products into high-value-added manufactured goods through Chinese technology. The two sides engaged in practical discussions on joint ventures, technology transfer, and deep processing of minerals, marking a shift in Sino-Tajik industrial cooperation from simple resource extraction to collaborative manufacturing across the entire industrial chain.

Uzbekistan is a vital mineral resource hub in Central Asia, boasting exceptional mineral reserves. It ranks tenth globally in gold production and is rich in strategic minerals such as uranium, copper, tungsten, and molybdenum, giving it a significant advantage in resource endowment.

On the afternoon of May 12, President Xi Jinping held talks with Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, who was on a state visit to China, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.