Geopolitics in the Ground: Kazakhstan’s Role in the Global Mineral Race
Format: Presentations
Mining has moved to the centre of geopolitical competition, as critical minerals underpin clean energy, defence and digital technologies. Kazakhstan sits at a strategic crossroads in this new landscape: a major uranium and copper producer with emerging rare earths potential, positioned between Russia, China and Western markets. This session examines how control over resources, refining and midstream processing is reshaping alliances, trade routes and sanctions. Where Kazakhstan fits in evolving supply chains, how partners seek to diversify away from single suppliers, and what this means for the country’s foreign policy and development path.