Trump to meet Central Asian presidents as US seeks to counter China, Russia influence

U.S. President Donald Trump will host the leaders of five Central Asian nations at the White House on Thursday as the U.S. seeks to gain influence in a region long dominated by Russia and increasingly courted by China. The talks take place amid intensifying competition for Central Asia’s vast mineral resources. Western nations are seeking to diversify supply chains away from Moscow and Beijing. In particular, the U.S. is pursuing new partnerships to secure critical minerals, energy supplies, and overland trade routes that circumvent its geopolitical rivals. Launched in 2015, the so-called C5+1 platform brings together the United States and…