UK signs critical minerals deal with Kazakhstan to cut China reliance

UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper is set to announce a major critical minerals agreement with Kazakhstan on Thursday, February 26, as Western countries seek to diversify supply chains and reduce dependence on China.

According to Politico, the announcement will take place at Lancaster House in London, where Cooper will host foreign ministers from the five Central Asian states — Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan — for high-level talks focused on economic cooperation, energy transition and regional development.

During the meeting, Cooper will formally unveil the minerals partnership alongside Kazakh Foreign Minister Yermek Kosherbayev. Additional agreements with the participating countries will cover carbon capture initiatives and expanded higher-education cooperation.

“Central Asia is an important region with huge potential to boost economic growth,” Cooper said in a statement to POLITICO. “These agreements deliver for British businesses, strengthen economic security and are a clear demonstration of U.K. support for the independence of the Central Asian states.”

The new plan of action is designed to diversify British supply chains by encouraging UK investment in Kazakhstan’s critical minerals sector. A memorandum of understanding supporting the initiative was signed by Kazakhstan’s Deputy Minister for Industry Olzhas Saparbekov and UK Trade Minister Chris Bryant.

In a recent opinion article, Kosherbayev highlighted the strategic importance of Kazakhstan’s resources, noting that global demand for critical raw materials is rapidly increasing due to clean-energy technologies, advanced manufacturing and defence industries. He pointed out that Kazakhstan produces 22 of the 36 minerals listed in the UK’s Critical Minerals Strategy adopted last November, including uranium, titanium, silicon and rhenium.

Kazakhstan is considered a major global supplier of critical minerals, providing more than 40 percent of the world’s uranium output and ranking among leading producers of titanium. The country is also a top-ten exporter of copper and zinc.

The initiative follows broader Western coordination efforts. Earlier this month, UK Foreign Minister Seema Malhotra attended a meeting in Washington involving representatives of 50 countries aimed at diversifying global mineral supply chains away from China. Britain’s Critical Minerals Strategy, unveiled last November, seeks to ensure that by 2035 no more than 60 percent of the UK’s supply of any single critical mineral comes from one country.

As part of wider economic cooperation with the region, Cooper will also announce a new education partnership between the UK and Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Plans include the opening of a second campus of Coventry University in Almaty and the creation of a new artificial intelligence center at Cardiff University’s campus in Astana.

In addition, Cooper will present a carbon-capture agreement between British start-up Valor Carbon and the government of Kyrgyzstan, alongside a £100 million project aimed at planting 25,000 hectares of forest as part of regional environmental and climate initiatives.

By Tamilla Hasanova