BEIJING: Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsuh is paying a state visit to China just two days after the Zuunbayan-Khangi railway, the third railway to connect Mongolia with China, started operations on November 25.
Apart from boosting connectivity, the two neighbors joined hands to fight the COVID-19 epidemic by gifting one another with sheep and tea as well as deepened cooperation and exchanges in various fields.
The two countries have set a good example for state-to-state relations, Chinese President Xi Jinping noted on Monday during his meeting with President Khurelsuh.
In the face of the rising instability and uncertainty in the international environment, China is willing to work with the Mongolian side to build a community with a shared future and promote the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership so as to better benefit the people of both countries, Xi vowed.
Three engines
Xi urged the two sides to deepen the three alignments between the Belt and Road Initiative and Mongolia’s Prairie Road development strategy, the Global Development Initiative and Mongolia’s New Revival Policy, and China’s “two-stage” strategic plan and Mongolia’s long-term development policy, so as to create three engines for further development of bilateral relations.
In 2013, Xi proposed the Belt and Road Initiative to improve regional connectivity and economic integration. The Prairie Road development strategy, an economic plan introduced by Mongolia, aims to boost trade with neighboring markets.
Mongolia’s New Revival Policy covers comprehensive reforms in the areas of port, energy, industry and green development, among others. While Xi on Monday voiced China’s willingness to deepen bilateral cooperation in areas such as economics and trade, energy and mining, connectivity, information technology and deep processing of livestock products.
Xi said China supports Mongolia’s “Planting One Billion Trees” plan and is willing to explore the possibility with the Mongolian side of setting up a Sino-Mongolian cooperation center for desertification control.
The Chinese president also called for promoting the construction of the China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor and the project of laying the China-Russia gas pipeline traversing Mongolia.
The first China-Europe freight train from Jinzhou Port in northeast China’s Liaoning Province to Helsinki, Finland, via Choibalsan City in Mongolia, was launched in August this year, which is in line with the construction of the China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor.
Exceeding $10 billion
As China is pursuing national rejuvenation by following the Chinese path to modernization, Xi told Khurelsuh that China will not only achieve own prosperity and development but will also deliver more development dividends to its neighbors and the world.
China has been Mongolia’s top investment source and trade partner for 18 consecutive years. Last year, the trade volume exceed $10 billion for the first time.
Total trade between China and Mongolia accounts for more than 60 percent of Mongolia’s foreign trade volume, according to data from the Inner Mongolia Academy of Social Sciences.
Customs data also showed that bilateral trade hit $9.68 billion in the first 10 months of this year.
Chinese President Xi Jinping holds a welcome ceremony for Mongolian president Ukhnaagiin Khurelsuh in Beijing, China, November 28, 2022. /Xinhua
Join efforts for world peace, development
The two leaders agreed on Monday to make joint efforts for world peace and development.
The Chinese president urged the two sides to team up to foster a new type of international relations and contribute to the building of a community with shared future for mankind.
China and Mongolia are both developing countries in the Asia-Pacific region and have extensive common interests in international and regional affairs, Xi pointed out, adding China is willing to coordinate closely with the Mongolian side to jointly defend genuine multilateralism, resist bloc rivalry and maintain international solidarity and cooperation.
Stressing that the current international and regional situation is undergoing a profound and complex evolution, Khurelsuh believes the two sides should promote Asian values and work together to maintain peace, stability and development in Asia.
The Mongolian side highly values China’s positive contribution to the maintenance of world peace, stability and development as well as the international system with the United Nations at its core, and is willing to strengthen communication and cooperation with China in international affairs and contribute to the maintenance of regional peace and development.
He added Mongolia backs the China-proposed Global Development Initiative and Global Security Initiative.
