America makes big money! Trains and planes: Central Asian top dog Kazakhstan, second place Uzbekistan sign 12.2 billion dollar agreements with US companies

Kazakhstan has agreed to purchase 300 freight locomotives, totaling 4.2 billion dollars; Uzbekistan will purchase at least 14 Boeing aircraft, reportedly valued at 8 billion dollars.

This week, the largest economies in Central Asia were busy finalizing agreements during the United Nations General Assembly in New York, which echoes the President's excessive obsession with transactionalism as the core of his government's diplomacy.

It is reported that Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have signed agreements worth 12.2 billion dollars with US companies.

On September 22, Kazakhstani President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev attended the signing ceremony of Westinghouse Brake Technologies Corporation (Wabtec Corporation), based in Pittsburgh, and Kazakhstan's national railway company, KTZ, for an agreement to produce and maintain 300 freight locomotives. Wabtec stated that the agreement spans multiple years and is worth 4.2 billion dollars.

In a press release, Westinghouse Brake Technologies said, "This order amount is the largest locomotive contract in the company's history."

President Donald Trump wrote an article on Truth Social, claiming it was "the largest rail equipment procurement in history." For example, in 2021, Amtrak reached a 7.3 billion dollar contract with Siemens Mobility Inc. to replace 83 passenger trains in America's aging train fleet.

Trump's post also mentioned that he had a "great call" with Kazakhstani respected President Kassym-Jomart Kemelev Tokayev. Two weeks earlier, media mistakenly reported a call between the two leaders, based on Trump's shouting questions and his usual enthusiastic, vague speaking style (Trump had spoken to the President of Uzbekistan the day before).

Several hours after Trump posted about the Kazakhstan and locomotive deal, he again posted about a deal with a Central Asian country: According to reports, Uzbekistan ordered up to 22 Boeing 787 Dreamliners, which was an agreement between Boeing and Uzbekistan Airways under the supervision of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

According to Boeing's press release on the matter, this is the "largest single order in the airline's history." The deal includes Uzbekistan Airways purchasing 14 787-9 aircraft and having the option to purchase an additional 8 aircraft.

Trump claimed the deal was worth 8 billion dollars; importantly, neither Boeing nor Uzbekistan official sources revealed the specific amount of the deal.

The core feature of Trump's second term government diplomacy is naked transactionalism, which Central Asian governments are well aware of. The logic is simple: first reach an agreement, then handle the details. The two agreements above do not have a clear timeline and only involve basic figures. Such huge transactions not only carry significant risks of corruption but also common risks such as delivery and payment delays.

But at this critical moment, reaching an agreement is key. It is crucial that reaching an agreement is the way to gain the White House's favor.

Sources: The Diplomaticist

Author: Katherine Puts

Date: September 23

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1844289254294537/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author themselves.