From Marco Polo to Marco Rubio: America should invest in Central Asia

Name the five countries in Central Asia that end with “stan.” Can’t? The often-overlooked region of the world is back on the map because of its critical minerals. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, one of the busiest men in the world, just visited Uzbekistan to discuss business partnerships. The United States should deepen its diplomatic relations with the “Stans” to end its reliance on China for essential resources.Kazakhstan leads the world in uranium production, the fuel of our nuclear reactors; Tajikistan holds a quarter of the world’s antimony, which turns our munitions into hardened, armor-piercing rounds; Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan have reserves of copper and molybdenum, used by our electricians and steel fabricators; reports of possible lithium deposits in Turkmenistan hint at a future supplier for battery components.These resources are in high demand. The Stans’ neighbors, China and Russia, are also getting in on the action. The Soviet Union once ruled Central Asia, establishing deep cultural ties that still endure. Russia leverages its influence by equipping the region with Soviet-era mining technology and by building nuclear plants.China provides much-needed infrastructure to the Stans, but it comes with crushing debt, as Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan have found out. Even though the region is richly endowed, it is mainland China that is doing most of the refining.Freed by communism’s collapse to shape its own identity and political affiliations, and wary of Russian and Chinese investments with strings attached, the region is increasingly seeking a better deal. Central Asia should be able to refine its minerals in-house, free from geopolitical loan sharks.America can provide that better deal. In 2015, the U.S. and the five Stans formed a diplomatic partnership called the C5+1 to discuss business.Last week, Rubio attended the group’s meeting in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. More than 100 American companies, including Franklin Templeton, Traxys, Aquatech, and Wabtec, joined. American companies can offer geological expertise, specialized equipment, technical training, and investment in the processing facilities Central Asia needs.Should Americans worry about investing in this far-off region? Is America merely extracting resources from Central Asia? Is this yet another doomed attempt at “nation-building?” Will moving into the region provoke Russia and China? Will these countries steal from American businesses?Developing business relations with Central Asia would not be nation-building so much as an opportunity for free market exchange and the flourishing that naturally follows. Offering the Stans an economic alternative to China and Russia would help preserve these countries’ autonomy without meddling in their internal affairs.As for provoking China and Russia, the conflict between superpowers over critical minerals is already brewing, and the U.S. has few alternatives to Central Asia. If we stay out of the Stans, China and Russia will continue to dominate the mineral supply chain.Will Americans be burned by doing business in a region scarred by Soviet history, with risks of asset seizures, limited transparency, and corruption? Perhaps, but business and risk go together. Nineteenth-century Americans understood this when they searched for opportunity in the Wild West. Fortune can be found in the “Wild East.”The risks are real, but the U.S. can reduce them by strengthening diplomatic relationships and showing the Stans that honorable business has better financial returns than corrupt endeavors.The U.S. should bring its expertise to Central Asia’s transportation, mineral processing, and business sectors, offering an alternative to Russia and China.TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OFFERS FIRST-EVER DEEP-SEA MINING LEASES NEAR AMERICAN SAMOAIn the 1270s, a 17-year-old Venetian named Marco Polo traveled through Central Asia in search of silk, stones, and spices. Stones have yet again put Central Asia on the map.America should decouple from China’s critical mineral hegemony by securing partnerships with the Stans. Investing in Central Asia is investing in America’s future.