WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump has clinched greater than $12 billion in commerce offers with Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan amid a White House push to deepen financial ties with the strategic Central Asian area.
Uzbekistan agreed to purchase as much as 22 plane from Virginia-based Boeing, the corporate stated. State-owned Uzbekistan Airlines will buy 14 with the choice to purchase one other eight, Boeing stated in a September 22 assertion. In a submit on TruthSocial, Trump put the worth for all 22 plane at greater than $8 billion.
“We will proceed to work collectively on many extra objects!” Trump stated within the submit.
Meanwhile, Kazakhstan signed an settlement to purchase 300 US locomotives in addition to different rail tools from Pennsylvania-based Wabtec Corporation for $4.2 billion. The US Commerce Department described it as the biggest rail deal in U.S. historical past.
“This landmark deal advances US manufacturing jobs and accelerates progress, alternative, and connectivity in America and Central Asia,” Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick stated throughout a signing ceremony in New York with Kazakh President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev.
US President Donald Trump earlier within the day spoke by telephone with Toqaev, who’s in New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly. Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev can be in New York and took half within the signing ceremony with Boeing.
Trump is looking for to strengthen commerce and funding ties with resource-rich Central Asia as he focuses on securing provides of essential minerals, together with uncommon earths important for top expertise, together with weapons. China dominates the uncommon earth provide chain.
During his go to to the UN, Toqaev will meet with the chief government officers of main US firms. The assembly is being organized by the US Chamber of Commerce, which earlier this month led executives from 25 US firms on a commerce mission to Kazakhstan, its largest-ever enterprise delegation to the Central Asian nation.
Next month, the Chamber will host its first ever enterprise mission to neighboring Uzbekistan, the biggest nation in Central Asia by inhabitants. Trump earlier this month spoke with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev to debate funding. In late August he despatched Special Envoy for Global Partnerships Paolo Zampolli to Tashkent to fulfill with Mirziyoev.
“It’s clear that Uzbekistan is a valued U.S. companion — not simply in Central Asia! –and the Trump administration is prioritizing engagement on political, financial, and safety points on the highest ranges,” Brianne Todd, who served because the director of Central Asian Affairs on the National Security Council from 2023-25, stated in a social media submit following Trump’s name with Mirziyoev.
Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are wealthy in oil, gasoline, uranium, and uncommon earths amongst different pure sources. US oil giants ExxonMobil and Chevron have made main investments in Kazakhstan’s oil and gasoline sector however in any other case US firms have shied away from the area throughout their greater than three many years of independecnce.
Now, with rising US demand for uranium and uncommon earths, and a push by the White House for stronger financial ties with Central Asian, new offers could also be on the horizon.
Trump’s curiosity within the area comes as China accelerates investments in Central Asia’s mining business. Experts say that Central Asian nations are looking for US funding to counterbalance Chinese and Russian affect.
The Trump administration has proven a dedication to make use of financial instruments like Export-Import Bank, the US authorities’s international commerce lending arm, and the Development and Financial Corp (DFC), the US international funding arm, to again US enterprise offers.
Export-Import Bank supported Wabtec’s Kazakh rail cope with a $400 million mortgage.
