Cabinet Secretariat visits Inner Mongolia to accelerate proposed megaprojects
Cabinet Secretariat G.Zandanshatar is paying a working visit to China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region from September 17 to 19.
On September 17, G.Zandanshatar held a meeting with Communist Party Secretary of China’s Inner Mongolia Li Jiheng in Hohhot, the capital of Inner Mongolia, to discuss some progresses for developing trade and economic cooperation and future cooperation between the two parties.
G.Zandanshatar highlighted that thanks to high-level visits and dialogues between the two countries in recent years, the two countries are seeing some real progresses in bilateral relations and cooperation.
He emphasized that trade turnover of 6.7 billion USD took place between Mongolia and China last year, 4.2 billion USD of which was between Mongolia and Inner Mongolia.
The cabinet secretariat head underlined that trade between Mongolia and Inner Mongolia makes up nearly 70 percent of Mongolia-China trade turnover, which shows how Mongolia’s economic cooperation with Inner Mongolia is increasing in recent years.
During their meeting, the sides discussed ways to work together on proposed projects that will be implemented under China’s Belt and Road Initiative and the Mongolia-Russia-China Economic Corridor Program.
G.Zandanshatar asked Jiheng to set up a joint task force in charge of implementations of megaprojects such as accelerating the Economic Corridor Program, improving the infrastructures of the two countries’ border checkpoints, and increasing exports of meat and agricultural products from Mongolia to China.
Jiheng said that he supports Mongolia’s proposal to establish the joint task force.
The sides noted that as humanitarian cooperation is a main resource of cooperation in all areas -- economy, trade, politics, and infrastructure -- boosting collaboration between cultural and humanitarian sectors of the two countries will be important for further relations.
During his tour in Inner Mongolia’s Bayannuur, G.Zandanshatar met with the vice head of Inner Mongolian government’s foreign affairs department.
During their meeting, the sides agreed to increase the number of vehicles crossing China’s Sekhee border checkpoint.
They discussed boosting Inner Mongolia’s investment in Mongolia in non-mining sectors including food, agriculture, light industry and tourism by increasing the use of eco-friendly and energy efficient innovative technology.
Both officials also touched on issues about exporting meat from Mongolia’s western provinces including Uvs, Khovd, Bayan-Ulgii, Zavkhan and Govi-Altai, to China, and improving capacities of Zamiin-Uud-Erlian, Gashuunsukhait-Gants Mod and Shiveekhuren-Sekhee border checkpoints connecting Mongolia with China.
During his three-day visit, G.Zandanshatar will hold meetings with officials of Inner Mongolia to discuss ways to accelerate proposed megaprojects, and will be visiting factories of milk and veterinary medicine and a hospital in Hohhot to learn more about their operations and seek further mutually beneficial collaboration opportunities between these organizations and Mongolian entities.