Across boundaries, beyond trade

Driving growth

The logistics parks near the Erenhot highway port offer vivid testimony to these increasingly close trade ties. At the Erenhot Huitong International Logistics Park, there's a constant stream of trucks, while forklifts tirelessly load and unload cargo.

According to Aruuhan, the park's office director, most goods exported from Mongolia to China are first transported to Zamyn-Uud. They then enter China through the Erenhot port.

Built in 2011 and operational since 2012, the park has witnessed the evolution of China-Mongolia trade. "Since 2023, the park has seen a significant increase in import volumes, primarily mineral products and meat, reaching an annual total of around 1 million tons in recent years," Aruuhan said.

This increasingly frequent cross-border movement and smooth flow of goods underpin continuous efforts to upgrade China-Mongolia economic cooperation.

In March 2024, the establishment of China-Mongolia Erenhot-Zamyn-Uud Economic Cooperation Zone was approved. Spanning 18.03 square kilometers — 9.03 on the Chinese side and 9 on the Mongolian side — it is China's third cross-border economic cooperation zone with a neighboring country.

This April, the China (Inner Mongolia) Pilot Free Trade Zone Erenhot Area was established. The Chinese part of the earlier-approved economic cooperation zone was integrated into this new free trade zone, injecting significant new dynamism into Erenhot's opening-up.

Dou Xiaoping, deputy director of the Administration Committee of the China (Inner Mongolia) Pilot Free Trade Zone Erenhot Area, said the China-Mongolia Erenhot-Zamyn-Uud Economic Cooperation Zone was established to leverage the respective strengths of both countries.

"The Chinese side focuses on international logistics, import and export processing, and cross-border tourism, capitalizing on its market, technological, and capital advantages to accelerate the establishment of a modern cross-border industrial system. Meanwhile, the Mongolian side prioritizes bulk commodity logistics and international trade, leveraging its resources, geographical, and policy advantages," he said.

Strategically located on the border adjacent to the Erenhot and Zamyn-Uud ports, the cooperation zone will operate under special customs procedures once fully established.

The cooperation zone already hosts over 20 registered enterprises, covering high-tech fields like new energy and computing power, he said.