Europe turns to Uzbekistan to lessen reliance on China

north_east

Uzbekistan, EU sign landmark agreement

The European Union is developing a new plan to reduce its dependence on China for critical raw materials. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the initiative today, October 25, during a conference held in Berlin.

She criticized Beijing for its recent restrictions on the export of rare earth elements.

For several years, the European Union has been working to lessen its reliance on China for minerals essential to its engineering and manufacturing industries, resources vital for the clean energy transition, defense sector, and production of electric vehicles.

According to von der Leyen, the EU aims to accelerate partnerships on critical raw materials with countries such as Australia, Canada, Chile, Greenland, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Ukraine. The plan also includes efforts to boost recycling and reuse of critical materials already present in products sold across Europe.

’’The goal is to ensure short-, medium-, and long-term access to alternative sources of critical raw materials for European industry,’’ von der Leyen said.

According to her, the new initiative, called RESourceEU, will be similar to the EU’s REPowerEU program, developed in 2022 to reduce the bloc’s dependence on Russian energy following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

’’We will focus on all aspects, from joint purchasing to stockpiling,’’ she noted. ’’We will also increase investments in strategic projects for the extraction and processing of critical raw materials within the EU.’’

On October 9, China introduced export restrictions on rare earth elements and battery materials. Western governments and analysts view these measures as Beijing’s response to trade tariffs imposed by the United States.

However, von der Leyen emphasized that these restrictions are also having a significant impact on Europe, particularly in the automotive, defense, aerospace, artificial intelligence, microchip, and data center industries.

’’If we consider that more than 90 percent of Europe’s demand for rare earth magnets depends on Chinese imports, it poses a major risk to some of Europe’s most strategic industries. In the short term, we are seeking solutions together with our Chinese partners. But if necessary, we are ready to use all tools at our disposal,’’ she said.

It is worth noting that during the first EU–Central Asia Summit, held in Samarkand in April 2025, the parties adopted a Joint Declaration establishing a new framework for strategic partnership between the two regions, and signed another declaration on cooperation in the field of critical raw materials.