When President Trump announced tariffs in April, officials in Kazakhstan were surprised to see their country on the list. Kazakhstan, a resource-rich country that borders Russia and China, does a minimal amount of trade with the United States. And based on how Kazakh government officials interpreted Mr. Trump’s new policies, more than 90 percent of its exports to the United States would be exempt from the tariff. American officials have spent much of the last decade promising money and support to prod the country to open up its economy, especially mining. "Many in the region saw the U.S. as a...