China, Mongolia vow deeper ties, support

China and Mongolia have reiterated their commitment to be good neighbors and partners who trust and support each other, vowing to further develop mutually beneficial economic ties.

The pledge was made during Foreign Minister Wang Yi's three-day visit to Mongolia, to be wrapped up on Monday.

During a meeting with Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh in Ulan Bator on Saturday, Wang said China has always put China-Mongolia relations at an important place in its neighborhood diplomacy.

China has both the will and capability to be a neighbor that Mongolia can rely on, a trustworthy friend, and a partner in accelerating its development, he said.

Wang reaffirmed China's respect for Mongolia's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as the development path that Mongolia has chosen for itself.

Describing China as Mongolia's good neighbor, Khurelsukh said developing friendly relations with China is a top priority of Mongolia's foreign policy.

Mongolia is committed to the one-China principle, regarding Taiwan as an inalienable part of China's territory, and opposes any form of "Taiwan independence" activities, he said.

The country will not do anything that harms China's interests, regardless of its relations with other countries, he said.

According to the Mongolian president, the bilateral trade is expected to reach $20 billion this year.

Wang expressed readiness to work more closely with Mongolia to align development strategies; tap into the full potential of bilateral cooperation; advance existing collaboration in connectivity, energy and mineral resources, and trade and investment; and create new growth drivers for cooperation in key minerals, green development, the digital economy, and other emerging fields.

In recent years, mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries has continued to expand, and China has remained Mongolia's largest trading partner and a major source of investment for many years.

The construction of their second cross-border railway is being accelerated and is expected to become another major artery of connectivity.

Fast track of growth

China supports Mongolia in developing its economy and improving people's livelihoods, and welcomes Mongolia to ride the fast track of China's development, Wang said at a news conference on Saturday after his meeting with Mongolian Foreign Minister Batmunkh Battsetseg.

Wang cited estimates by international institutions that every 1 percent of growth in China's economy can drive a 4 percent increase in Mongolia's exports and a 0.6 percent rise in its economic growth.

This fully demonstrates the highly complementary and closely interconnected economic ties between the two countries, he said.

To help Mongolia respond to the recent foot-and-mouth disease outbreak, China has decided to supply 1 million doses of vaccines, Wang announced at the news conference.

Li Chao, an assistant research fellow at the Belt and Road Initiative Research Institute at the Inner Mongolia Academy of Social Sciences, said China-Mongolia ties are at the best stage in history, with cooperation across various fields continuously yielding new outcomes.

The emphasis that the two countries put on the positioning of their relations reflects their unchanged consensus on developing friendly relations and promoting mutually beneficial cooperation, Li said.

Bilateral cooperation is key for Mongolia to promoting its own economic stability and development, he said.

And for China, Mongolia plays an important role in maintaining stability along the northern border, as the two countries share China's longest border with any neighbor, he added.

Li highlighted cooperation in green mining, ecological protection and clean energy, saying leveraging China's technological strengths to deepen cooperation with Mongolia in green development would help both countries move toward their carbon reduction and climate goals.

zhoujin@chinadaily.com.cn