Uzbekistan and Malaysia have agreed to implement critical minerals projects, the Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade Laziz Kudratov told the Uzbekistan 24 TV channel on Wednesday.
According to him, the economies of Uzbekistan and Malaysia complement each other, which opens up opportunities for industrial cooperation in the field of electronics and semiconductors.
He underscored that Uzbekistan has huge reserves of critical minerals and material that allow " to move to a new stage of industrial development, to launch production of semiconductor components."
"We have agreements with three major players in Malaysia, which provide for joint high-purity monocrystalline and polycrystalline silicon production projects, as well as ultra-pure graphite. The latter is used not only in the semiconductor industry, but also in nuclear energy and the space industry," he added.
Cooperation with Malaysian companies will allow the Uzbek economy and enterprises to reach a new level of development, the minister said.
Partners from Malaysia will launch a program to enhance the skills of Uzbek specialists in the field of semiconductor production, including both theoretical and practical training.
“The second important area is chemicals. Together with Malaysian companies, we are setting up new enterprises, launching new business initiatives for the production of fine chemicals and components that are critical for industries such as the building materials, paints, and pharmaceuticals. Malaysia will share technologies with us and invest in these areas in our country,” Laziz Kudratov emphasized.
The parties also vowed to cooperate in the automotive industry, food security, and the food industry.
Uzbekistan and Malaysia announced a joint platform that will allow online tracking of the status of all projects. On a quarterly basis, the heads of both states will be reported on the progress of the agreements and projects.
It should be underscored that one of the largest graphite deposits in Uzbekistan is Taskazgan, located in the Peshkun district of the Bukhara province. The graphite reserves at this deposit are estimated at 6.2 million tons, and the predicted resources are about 40 million tons.
