Recent statements from the United States signal a clear and deliberate shift in how Washington views Pakistan’s role in future global supply chains. In a public message, the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs grouped Pakistan alongside India, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan at a critical minerals conference, highlighting cooperation to build “secure and resilient supply chains.”
This was reinforced by comments from JD Vance, who spoke of forming a trading bloc among US allies and partners to guarantee industrial access and expand production across trusted regions.
These are not symbolic gestures. They reflect a strategic recalibration in which Pakistan is being treated as a credible stakeholder, not a peripheral actor, in US led economic and industrial planning.
Pakistan more than a connector economy
Pakistan’s inclusion alongside major Central Asian producers and India points to a broader US assessment: Pakistan is increasingly seen as a connector economy.
Its geography links South Asia with Central Asia and global markets through the Arabian Sea, while its infrastructure and transit potential make it relevant to supply-chain resilience.
By explicitly naming Pakistan in the same framework as resource-rich Central Asian states, Washington is signaling confidence in Pakistan’s reliability and long-term relevance.
This grouping challenges outdated narratives that frame Pakistan as unstable or strategically marginal.
Instead, it places Pakistan within a zone of partners considered essential for securing minerals critical to advanced manufacturing, energy transition technologies and defense industries.
The emphasis on working “closely” with Pakistan also reflects continuity in engagement. It suggests a relationship driven by strategic convergence and economic logic rather than short-term political optics.
Reko Diq and the economics behind the strategy
The strongest evidence of this shift lies in concrete investment. In December 2025, the US Export-Import Bank approved $1.25 billion in financing for critical minerals mining at Reko Diq, with the potential to mobilize up to $2 billion in US mining equipment and services over time.
According to US Chargé d’Affaires Natalie Baker, the project is expected to create around 6,000 jobs in the United States and 7,500 jobs in Balochistan.
More importantly, Washington has framed Reko Diq as a model project one that benefits US industry while delivering employment, development and prosperity to local Pakistani communities.
The Trump administration’s emphasis on deals like Reko Diq shows that Pakistan is being woven into a broader economic architecture built on trust, scale and long-term cooperation.
Taken together, US public messaging and hard financing point to one conclusion that Pakistan is no longer being viewed merely through a security lens. It is being positioned as a strategic economic partner in the emerging geopolitics of critical minerals and global supply chains.
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