It was in Kazakhstan where Chinese President Xi Jinping first proposed the Belt and Road Initiative a decade ago - a move which has since seen Beijing bankroll billions of dollars worth of projects around the globe. Now, the central Asian nation is again taking centre stage, with it expected to be a crucial part of the initiative's next phase as Beijing's ambitions turn to growing its influence in Europe, one of its key markets. Kazakhstan, the world's largest landlocked country, is geographical
Speakers will explore the geopolitical drivers of the race for critical minerals, discussing whether these have spurred investment in the mining sector and the opportunities this creates for resource-rich developing and emerging economies.
China aims to become carbon neutral by 2060 and it has made significant strides in renewable energy, but it continues to rely on coal for energy generation.