Central Asia’s two economic drivers, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, seem satisfied with the results of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit to the region. But Astana and Tashkent both want to see more done to “translate political agreements into concrete investments.”
Rubio led a large American delegation that participated in a business forum in the Uzbek city of Samarkand on October 19. The same day he met with the foreign ministers of all five Central Asian states within the C5+1 format and held one-on-one talks with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
The Uzbek hosts had the most reason to be satisfied with the outcome of the Samarkand events, announcing investment deals covering a variety of economic sectors potentially worth $12 billion. Uzbek officials said an action plan would be developed to ensure implementation of the agreements, while also announcing Uzbekistan’s accession to the Artemis Accords, a US initiative to promote peaceful space exploration.
Mirziyoyev lauded the results while acknowledging that Uzbekistan needed to do more to make the country’s investment climate more transparent and predictable. He indicated that a US-Uzbek business council would work to make systematic improvements. “Investors coming to Uzbekistan should be able to start doing business immediately, without wasting time on administrative procedures,” Mirziyoyev stated.
While affirming that bilateral relations had “reached a qualitatively new level,” he emphasized that there is still lots of room for growth.
“The need for further expansion of economic ties based on a strong political partnership was emphasized,” Mirziyoyev said, referring to his discussions with Rubio.
Kazakhstan’s leadership also appears content with Rubio’s visit, even though no specific US-Kazakh business deals were announced. The headline of a commentary published by the Kazinform state news agency stated; “Rubio’s Samarkand visit gives fresh momentum to US-Central Asia ties.”
Astana was perhaps most pleased to hear that the United States will not be pursuing a zero-sum economic policy in the region that would force Central Asian states to chose between the American and Chinese models of development in key areas, especially digital technologies and artificial intelligence.
Kazakhstan is a member of both Pax Silica, a US-led initiative governing IT/AI development, and a similar Chinese-orchestrated grouping called WAICO. The Kazinform commentary stressed that Rubio in Samarkand “was not asking regional countries to abandon their existing partnerships with Russia, China or other powers,” adding that “this approach is consistent with the multi-vector foreign policy pursued by Kazakhstan.”
Like Uzbekistan, however, Kazakhstan wants the United States to do more. An immediate step that Washington can take is the repeal of Jackson-Vanik trade restrictions, Kazakh officials believe. The Trump administration supports the repeal of Jackson-Vanik, but Rubio in Samarkand told journalists that the Republican-controlled Congress “just hasn’t gotten around to it, but we hope that they will.”
The Kazinform commentary indicated that Astana will be paying close attention to how Washington follows up on its vision for enhanced trade ties, as outlined in a joint statement issued after the Samarkand meetings. “Implementation of commercial agreements will be another important measure of progress,” the commentary noted. “The figures announced in Washington and Samarkand represent contracts and planned transactions rather than investments already completed, while the C5+1 statement establishes shared objectives without binding financial commitments.”
According to Kazakh media, Rubio indicated that he may pay a visit to Kazakhstan at some point after the upcoming G20 gathering in Florida in mid-December. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Mirziyoyev are scheduled to participate in those discussions.
Turkmenistan also expressed interest in expanding bilateral ties with the United States, as well as its Central Asian neighbors. A Turkmen Foreign Ministry statement reiterated Ashgabat’s intent to integrate into the emerging regional trade system, especially trans-Caspian initiatives. It also endorsed efforts to create “favorable conditions for stimulating corporate activity and attracting investment,” and called for an increase in educational exchanges with the United States.
While the Samarkand meetings appeared to firm up the US trade position in Central Asia, China offered a reminder that it is determined to remain the dominant economic player in the region for the foreseeable future. On October 19, the same day Tajikistan’s foreign minister was participating in the Samarkand discussions, Tajik leader Emomali Rahmon was hosting China’s premier, Li Qiang, in Dushanbe. Pointing out that bilateral trade volume amount to about $2.5 billion during the first eight months of 2026, Li said Beijing was ready to help Tajikistan implement “priority projects,” including the country’s AI capabilities.