Uzbekistan seeks to escape raw materials trap

Uzbekistan is pushing to transform its economy from a raw materials supplier to a producer of higher-value industrial goods as global demand for critical minerals accelerates. At the Tashkent International Investment Forum, policymakers and industry leaders emphasized that the real opportunity lies in domestic processing to capture more of the value chain. Western governments and manufacturers are increasingly interested in diversifying supply chains away from China, making resource-rich countries like Uzbekistan attractive partners for critical minerals processing.