Foreign exchange reserves reach USD 7.2 billion www.gogo.mn

Mongolia’s foreign exchange reserves reached USD 7,187.8 million at the end of the first quarter of 2026, up USD 182.5 million from the beginning of the year and marking a record high.

The reserves are sufficient to cover 8.4 months of imports of goods paid for in foreign currency, 5.6 months of imports of goods and services, and 275% of short-term external debt. This meets internationally used reserve adequacy standards.

Asia’s EVolution: How Mongolia became a dumping ground for Japan’s hybrid electric vehicles www.channelnewsasia.com

Winter is coming on the Mongolian steppe. The wind has started to bite hard as it sweeps through the open grasslands and low granite hills that punctuate the landscape.

For Namnansuren Tuvdsuren and his family of nomadic herders, the temperature dropping means guiding their sheep, goats and cattle on horseback or motorcycle becomes a tougher proposition.

So, like many herders across Mongolia’s harsh expanse, they keep a more modern tool at hand: a Toyota Prius.

The hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), originally designed for the streets of Tokyo, is proving its worth in the wild.

“Basically, if we don’t have our motorcycle around, we just use the Prius,” Tuvdsuren explained as he navigated the open land from behind the wheel, shifting his animals in a tight flock.

“In winter, if a young horse or cow gets injured, we just tie their legs together, lay down the backseats in the car and load it in.”

Namnansuren Tuvdsuren is a young herder on the steppe, who uses a Prius for his daily work. (Photo: CNA/Jack Board)
Nationwide, hybrid vehicles account for 45 per cent of Mongolia’s total vehicle fleet of about 1.5 million, according to the Ministry of Road and Transport Development. 

The vast majority of these are Priuses, attractive because of their reliability, cheap and available spare parts and fuel efficiency that offsets the high cost of petrol. 

“If you throw a rock in Mongolia, chances are you’ll hit a Prius,” said a taxi diver in the capital.

“Climb up the Khüiten Peak and guess what, a Prius will be there,” he added, referring to the country’s tallest mountain that even the most rugged four-wheel drives struggle to ascend.

Mongolia is awash with cheap, end-of-life hybrids imported from Japan once they have served their purposes on tamer urban streets.

They can be found in every corner: from the jammed avenues of Ulaanbaatar to the depths of the Gobi Desert.
Ulaanbaatar has one of the coldest winters of any capital in the world and some of its dirtiest air. The Prius functions reliably even in such extremes, and its cleaner, battery-assisted motor helps cut the vehicle emissions driving the city’s air crisis.

Yet behind the affection for the Prius lies a more difficult reality - and a deep irony: in trying to reduce air pollution by promoting cleaner vehicles, Mongolia has inadvertently imported a new form of waste.

In a country with such brutal conditions and the roughest roads imaginable, those batteries, already expiring after years of use overseas, fail fast and need to be replaced.

With no permitted way to recycle or safely dispose of the depleted and hazardous battery packs, and recent legislation putting those who try on the wrong side of the law, experts warn that Mongolia is becoming a green technology dumping ground.

And it is an emerging lesson for other countries bracing for a wave of electric vehicles without plans in place for when they are no longer roadworthy.

“For a country like Mongolia, with vast distances, hybrids are much more practical. You can drive 100 to 150 km on electricity and then 800 to 1000 km with the gasoline engine”, said Baasanbayar Sambuu-Yondon, the executive director of the Mongolian Automobile Distributors Association (MADA).

Where many countries throughout Asia prohibit or severely restrict the importation of used vehicles, Mongolia’s policies have facilitated the deluge of second-hand hybrids from Japan.

For more than a decade, the country’s regulatory environment actively enabled the surge of used hybrid imports through a combination of low import taxes and duty exemptions on such vehicles, which were marketed as “clean” cars.

Approximately 80 per cent of vehicle imports to the country come from Japan, with 95 per cent of those used.

Priuses are purchased at auction typically once their Toyota battery service period and warranty have expired - after that the batteries become expensive to maintain and replace. 

The vehicles are then brought into Mongolia by various industry players, Sambuu-Yondon explained.

“In other words, cars with expired or heavily deteriorated batteries are coming into Mongolia,” he said.

It is still a flexible rule, far more lenient than countries in Southeast Asia, for example.

Countries such as Indonesia prohibit used car imports entirely, while Vietnam and Singapore impose much stricter age and registration limits.

Over the past decade, Mongolia has typically imported between 50,000 and 70,000 cars annually, both old and new, according to figures from MADA.

But in recent years, that number roughly doubled - to around 120,000 cars in 2023 and 130,000 cars in 2024.

“Mongolia’s vehicle fleet has reached a point where its age and need for renewal have become significantly pressing,” said Munkhnasan Enkhtaivan from Mongolia’s Ministry of Road and Transport Development.

The vast majority of imports are right-hand drive vehicles - opposite to what they are meant to be based on driving lanes in Mongolia - due to being from Japan, where right hand drive vehicles and driving on the left side of the road are the norm.

He added that nearly every adult in the capital now owns close to two cars. More and more of them are old Toyota Priuses rolling across the border.

As a result, Ulaanbaatar is in the midst of a traffic nightmare. The city suffers chronic congestion, a bitter irony in the least densely populated country on earth.

“These cars are not owned out of necessity, but because anyone can afford one,” he said. “They are extremely cheap, ageing vehicles.”

In 2025, exporter listings show a ten-year-old Prius selling for roughly US$3,000-US$8,000 at source.

“These cars have already been driven for many years before they even get here, so naturally, the parts are worn,” said mechanic and business owner, Tseren-Osor Naidan.

“Extreme cold or heat causes wear and tear, and the rough terrain adds more strain. But still, these cars hold up surprisingly well. Toyota really built them strong.”

The cars may be tough but the batteries fail much faster in the extreme cold than they otherwise would.

Servicing and replacing Prius battery modules - often done cell by cell - is a common practice. 

Naidan does that too. But with no official waste channel, what is a necessary small-scale adaptation to keep hybrids alive has quietly become an environmental hazard.

Passenger cars contain different kinds of batteries. Nearly all - including EVs and HEVS contain a 12-volt lead unit used for starting the vehicle and operating its internal systems.

These are cheap, common and highly toxic if exposed to the environment or when smelted.

But HEVs, especially older models, typically use a nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) battery, which while less toxic than lead batteries can still pose health and environmental risks if not handled properly at their end-of-life.

Even if a battery is completely dead or damaged, if it is not decommissioned and stored properly, it poses a fire hazard, said Munkhsukh Natsag, a battery engineer in Ulaanbaatar.

“We are now facing serious challenges concerning hazardous waste, specifically how to dispose of, collect and store the batteries used in these vehicles,“ said Enkhtaivan.

“In Mongolia today, a discarded high-voltage battery might be sitting outside someone’s ger, in an open yard, where a child could easily be playing next to it. That is how dangerous the situation is,” she said, referring to the traditional tented communities common throughout the country.

Still, the metals within the batteries have value and there are informal collection systems at work throughout the country.

Depleted hybrid battery packs still have value but it is has become illegal to export them from Mongolia. (Photo: CNA/Jack Board)
On the outskirts of Ulaanbaatar, what resembles a fairly anonymous vehicle repair garage is actually at the heart of the entire country’s dead battery disposal network.

What happens here is shrouded in secrecy. 

The owner of the establishment was coy about any questioning of his activities and he requested his name not be published for fear of repercussions from the government, even though he is well known among the mechanics of the city.

Dozens of unmarked green barrels sitting outside in the elements is a clue to what is happening here. 

This is the place where right now nearly every single depleted Prius battery in the capital and beyond is collected, according to Bataar, an alias for the owner.

At the time of CNA’s visit, he was holding onto about 50,000 of them, a surfeit that had been gathering since the start of 2025.

“In Ulaanbaatar, I am confident I collect every single battery,” he said.

Realising both the economic potential and the environmental danger of discarded batteries, Bataar set his sights on Ulaanbaatar’s dense network of garages and service centres, buying up depleted hybrid packs from wherever he could find them.

“Before, they would end up dumped in landfills or buried in the hills. There is no official disposal site for them. People used to haul batteries by porter truck and dump them openly,” he said.

But now, he has a problem. Since early 2025, the government has made battery exports illegal. Bataar woke up to find his business on the wrong side of the law.

“I feel so suffocated that I could die. I’ve carried out this service properly for years, and now I’m suddenly forced to stop,” he said.

Both of Mongolia’s neighbouring countries, Russia and China, prohibit the cross-border transport of such hazardous materials through their territory, and third-country export is essentially banned, explained Enkhtaivan.

There are no officially authorised companies, repair shops or licensed facilities that are permitted to handle this work properly. 

With hundreds of thousands of HEVs on the country’s books, the scale of the issue is concerning, she said.

“So these batteries - this waste - remain inside the country. It is all in Mongolia,” she said. 

In these patches, unregistered smelters had been processing all kinds of lead battery waste before being chased away by authorities.

What has been left in this landscape are the remnants of those activities: piles and piles of lead battery casings, elements and scorched earth.

While this is helping to solve some issues, the Electrochem Mongol plant is unable to recycle hybrid-car batteries, a process that would require different technology and a separate purpose-built facility.

“At the moment, we’re still in the research and development phase for that next step,” said the company’s factory director Avirmed Munkhuu.

Electrochem Mongol’s CEO, Odonsuren Ulziibat, is optimistic that within three years, pending funding, that kind of plant could be built, with the ability to also process lithium batteries within a decade.

“In 10 years, we are going to need to be ready to process those EV batteries as waste too”, he said.

Engineers at Electrochem Mongolia process lead batteries at a new dedicated recycling facility. (Photo: CNA/Jack Board)
The government has been working with international partners such as the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank and JICA, and conducted several studies since 2016 on how to properly manage its battery waste issues.

Based on these studies, it has become clear that Mongolia urgently needs hybrid-vehicle battery waste facilities, Enkhtaivan said.

But its unique challenges - a small economy with a surplus of ageing hybrid vehicles - means funding for such projects is hard to secure, she said. Given Japan’s role in the trade, she said partners there have shown willingness to help.

Japan already has its own system for recycling NiMH batteries. 

It also has a utilisation fund from fees that consumers pay when they buy a new car to cover its eventual recycling. 

But that system does not apply to the cars exported to Mongolia and the money can normally be refunded to the exporter in that case.

The moment an aging Prius is sold overseas, its disposal obligations vanish. 

Mongolia inherits not just the cars, but also their toxic aftermath.

Other countries also have the capability to deal with battery waste. 

China is considered the global leader in lithium-ion battery recycling.

South Korea has advanced battery reuse and remanufacturing capacity, while Singapore established a lithium-ion battery recycling facility, the first of its kind in Southeast Asia, in 2021.

Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia are currently building up their capacity to do the same.

There remains a lack of pre-export inspection on the quality of the cars and their battery units coming into the country. 

“Mongolia could feasibly set a minimum battery health threshold that it will or will not accept in the future,” Enkhtaivan said.

As Mongolia struggles with a problem it did not solely create, its experience offers a warning to every country concerned about the EV transition, she added. 

As more electric vehicles with lithium batteries enter the country, the problem will not disappear, only shift.

According to the International Energy Agency, global electric‐car sales in 2024 exceeded 17 million units. 

While sales in emerging economies including in Asia, Latin America and Africa were still low, they nearly doubled that year.

“You must build a complete, integrated waste-management system before these vehicles enter your market.  If there is one lesson from Mongolia, it is this,” she said.

“That entire chain should be visible and traceable, as clearly as reading it on the palm of your hand. Now we are chasing after the problem.”

Even where countries do not permit second-hand vehicle imports, eventually lithium batteries from new vehicles will need replacing too.

China’s own electric revolution has produced its share of casualties. Satellite images have captured entire fields of discarded electric cars and batteries.

Countries without the means to handle the problem face grim environmental and logistical challenges.

“The result will be severe damage, but the most alarming part is this: we have no way of knowing what kind of harm will emerge, or how serious it will be, until years from now,” Enkhtaivan said.

Out on the steppe, the afterlife of a car that is used for herding livestock, fetching water and firewood and taking kids to school is far from top of mind for Mongolia’s nomadic communities.

But life on the land is steeped in tradition and connection to the living earth. The morning ritual of offering the first cup of tea in the morning to the sky and soil remains important to this day.

Yet as spent batteries and broken hybrids pile up on the edges of the land, that same bond between people and the earth is quietly being tested.

By Jack Board

Additional reporting by Khaliun Amarsaikhan.

Source: CNA/jb(ao)

Mongolia, Republic of Korea and Australia dominate on Day 4 of FIBA 3x3 Asia Cup 2026 www.fiba.basketball

SINGAPORE – Mongolia (men and women), Republic of Korea (men) and Australia (women) delivered statement performances on Day 4 of the FIBA 3x3 Asia Cup 2026, topping their pools and powering into the Quarter-Finals as the Main Draw intensified.

With knockout spots on the line, the tournament’s contenders began to separate themselves at The Kallang.

Mongolia men stay perfect

Mongolia’s men continued their strong run, finishing unbeaten to top their pool and advance to the Quarter-Finals.

They opened with a composed 21-15 win over Chinese Taipei, before surviving a thriller against the Philippines. After trailing early, Mongolia stormed back behind Bolor-Erdene Gantsolmon, who delivered key plays down the stretch in a 21-19 victory.

Gantsolmon, currently tied for first overall in player value (24.5), has been central to Mongolia’s success, leading a balanced and resilient unit through a perfect pool phase.

Warrior Queen powers Mongolia

Mongolia’s women were equally impressive, sweeping their group to secure top spot and a place in the Quarter-Finals.

They dismantled Malaysia 20-6 before edging New Zealand 12-10 in a tightly contested showdown.

Leading the charge was the "Warrior Queen" herself, Khulan Onolbaatar, who continues to anchor the team’s performances. Ranked third overall in player value (17.2), Onolbaatar combined scoring and leadership to guide Mongolia through a perfect day.

With both teams advancing unbeaten, Mongolia have firmly established themselves as title contenders.

Prime Minister Uchral Appoints New Cabinet Members www.montsame.mn

At the plenary session of the State Great Khural (Parliament), the members of the Government presented by Prime Minister Uchral Nyam-Osor were discussed. Subsequently, the Prime Minister exercised his power granted under the Constitution and the Law on Government to appoint and formalize the members of the Cabinet.

While appointing the members of the Government, the Prime Minister emphasized that they were being appointed during an extraordinary period marked by disruptions in fuel supply, sharp price increases, shortages, rising inflation, and price surges, circumstances under which many countries around the world have declared states of emergency.

He noted that holding a ministerial position is less about power and more about responsibility. The Prime Minister stressed that ministers are entrusted with a heavy duty to confront challenges, overcome difficulties, work with greater speed and courage, and turn problems into solutions. He underlined the expectation that they will utilize their knowledge and experience to implement the Government’s policies, programs, and objectives, lead their respective sectors effectively, and work free from corruption and conflicts of interest.

He also emphasized strict accountability in both ethics and performance, calling on ministers to demonstrate patriotism through action, and to work with unity, strength, and decisiveness.

Following this, the newly appointed ministers took their oath before Parliament, paid respect to the state flag, and signed the oath document.

The Cabinet led by Prime Minister Uchral consists of:

First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Development: Enkhbayar Jadamba
Deputy Prime Minister: Dorjkhand Togmid
Deputy Prime Minister: Nomtoibayar Nyamtaishir
Minister and Chief of the Cabinet Secretariat: Enkhbayar Battumur
Minister of Foreign Affairs: Battsetseg Batmunkh
Minister of Finance: Mendsaikhan Zagdjav
Minister of Justice and Internal Affairs: Amarsaikhan Sainbuyan
Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources: Damdinnyam Gongor
Minister of Defense: Batlut Damba
Minister of Environment and Climate Change: Sandag-Ochir Tsend
Minister of Education: Enkh-Amgalan Luvsantseren
Minister of Family, Labour and Social Protection: Aubakir Telyekhan
Minister of Road and Transport: Delgersaikhan Borkhuu
Minister of Culture, Sports, Tourism and Youth: Aldarjavkhlan Jukov
Minister of Urban Development, Construction and Housing: Bat-Amgalan Enkhtaivan
Minister of Food, Agriculture and Light Industry: Iderbat Tsagaankhuu
Minister of Digital Development, Innovation and Communications: Nomin Chinbat
Minister of Energy: Naidalaa Badrakh

Ulaanbaatar to Provide Free LPG Heating Systems to Insulated Households www.montsame.mn

Households that have fully insulated their homes will receive a one-time free installation of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) heaters.

In addition, a subsidy of up to MNT 900,000 will be provided during the heating season, from September 15 of the current year to May 15 of the following year. The subsidy will not be paid in cash but will be gradually deducted from households’ LPG heating bills, according to the Media and Public Relations Department of the Ulaanbaatar City Governor’s Office.

A total of 51,080 households have been selected for transition to gas heating, including 14,685 in Songinokhairkhan district, 12,229 in Chingeltei district, 8,483 in Bayangol district, 13,655 in Bayanzurkh district, and 2,028 in Sukhbaatar district.

Residents in the selected khoroos who wish to switch to LPG heating can apply by submitting a request form through their local administrative units. The initiative is part of the city’s plan to improve air quality by gradually transitioning households in 35 khoroos across five districts—designated as “green zones” for air quality improvement—to cleaner LPG-based heating systems.

Parliament Elects Byambatsogt as Speaker www.montsame.mn

The State Great Khural continued discussions on electing the speaker during its afternoon plenary session on April 3, 2026.

At the previous day’s session, the Democratic Party group had requested a three-day recess, but Deputy Speaker Bat-Erdene Jadamba, who chaired the session, granted a one-day break.

Following the expiration of the recess, lawmakers resumed deliberations and voted to elect Byambatsogt Sandag as Chairman of the State Great Khural with 76.3 percent support.

Profile

Sandag Byambatsogt was born in 1974 in Khovd aimag. He is married with three children.

He graduated from the Institute of Finance and Economics in 1999, Maastricht University in the Netherlands in 2005, and the School of Law at the National University of Mongolia in 2014. He holds degrees in economics and law, with master’s qualification in business administration and legal studies.

He served as Director and Chairman of the Board of “New Progress” Group from 2000 to 2008. He has been a Member of Parliament in multiple terms since 2008 and held several senior positions, including:

Deputy Head (2012–2013) and Head (2013–2016) of the Mongolian People’s Party group in Parliament

Minister of Justice and Home Affairs (2016–2017)

Chair of the Standing Committee on State Structure (2019–2020)

Chair of the Standing Committee on Legal Affairs (2020–2022)

Minister of Road and Transport Development (2022–2024)

Minister of Defense (2024–2025)

Chief of the Cabinet Secretariat (since 2025)

Pension Reserve Fund Assets Increase by MNT 2.7 Billion www.montsame.mn

Along with the implementation of the revised package law on social insurance starting January 1, 2024, Mongolia transitioned to a partially funded pension system and established a Pension Reserve Fund. Under this reform, two percent of pension insurance contributions began to be accumulated in monetary form in the fund.

As of 2025, a total of MNT 302.7 billion has been accumulated in the Pension Reserve Fund. By Government Resolution No. 256 of 2024, the Government approved the “Regulation on the accumulation, registration, allocation, placement, reporting, investment, inheritance, and supervision of Pension Reserve Fund assets.” In accordance with this regulation, the fund’s assets are invested based on the principles of security, efficiency, transparency, and independence. Investments are permitted in four financial instruments: Government securities, Bank of Mongolia securities, cash deposits placed in the Treasury Single Account, and time deposits held in systemically important commercial banks.

On December 31, 2025, “Cash Deposit Agreements” were concluded with four systemically important commercial banks, placing MNT 215.3 billion of the Pension Reserve Fund as one-year deposits with an annual interest return of 15.11 percent. As a result, conditions were created to increase the fund’s assets by MNT 32.5 billion. The fund received an investment return of MNT 2.7 billion for March 2026, further increasing the total assets of the Pension Reserve Fund.

Tender for ‘First Ring Project’ Contractor Announced www.montsame.mn

An international open tender has been announced to select the contractor for the “First Ring Road” project.

The tender has been announced in the form of an “EPC+F” (Engineering, Procurement, Construction + Financing) model, meaning a turnkey, contractor-financed arrangement. In other words, the selected contractor will be responsible not only for preparing the project design, carrying out construction, and supplying the necessary equipment, but also for fully financing the project, according to the Capital City Governor’s Office.

Four companies have participated in the international open tender for the “First Ring Road” project. The evaluation committee is scheduled to meet next week to select the contractor. Specifically, China First Highway Engineering Company Limited, Shandong Luqiao Group Co., Ltd., China Railway 16th Bureau Group Co., Ltd., and China Gezhouba Group Company Limited are participating.

The total length of the ring road will be 24.7 km, of which 13.7 km will be a ground-level main road with 10 lanes, 2.08 km will consist of tunnel sections, and 9.03 km will include multi-level bridges and overpass structures.

In addition, the project will feature seven multi-level interchanges, three pedestrian bridges, and four underpasses. The total project financing amounts to USD 918.57 million, with completion planned for 2028.

The First Ring Road is designed with two categories: main roads and auxiliary roads. The main road will have six lanes with two directions and a design speed of 80–100 km/h, without traffic lights, allowing uninterrupted medium- and long-distance urban travel. The auxiliary road will have four lanes with two directions and a design speed of 60 km/h, designated for public transport. This separation is expected to reduce the impact of low-speed, short-distance traffic on the main road flow.

The ring road will intersect with the Tuul Highway at two locations. It will run north along the flood protection embankment west of the 1st microdistrict toward ger areas, connect to the Bayankhoshuu subcenter via a multi-level interchange, and continue eastward. It will intersect with Khuvisgalchdiin Avenue, pass north of the Sambalkhundev cemetery through a tunnel, and continue along the Khailaast and Doloon Buudal roads, where additional interchanges will be constructed. It will then pass south of the Selbe subcenter, cross the Selbe River, and connect to the Dari-Ekh Road via a bridge.

Once completed, the project is expected to reduce traffic congestion in the central urban area by 23–50% and increase average vehicle speeds during peak hours by 23.3%. Road capacity is also projected to increase by 23% at Zuun Durvun Zam, 21% at Baruun Durvun Zam, 14% at Bayanburd roundabout, and 10% along Ikh Mongol Street.

Groundwater Exploration to be Conducted at 25 Locations in Dornogobi Aimag www.montsame.mn

This year, Dornogobi aimag’s Food and Agriculture Department has submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Food, Agriculture, and Light Industry to conduct groundwater geophysical exploration at 25 sites across five soums, along with the construction of five engineered wells in the pasturelands of three soums, to be funded by the state budget.

Additionally, with an investment of MNT 110 million from the Local Development Funds of Dalanjargalan, Urgun, and Erdene soums, it is planned to construct and rehabilitate eight wells, both engineered and traditional wells, to improve water supply for pastureland.

In 2025, a total of 13 engineered wells and 10 traditional wells were newly constructed or rehabilitated across the aimag. As a result, 29,500 hectares of pastureland were supplied with water, enabling watering access for 35,300 livestock.

In Dornogobi aimag, 4,226 herder households across 14 soums are raising 1.6 million livestock (equivalent to 3.0 million sheep units) this spring.

Tech Companies Must End Complicity in Online Repression of Mongolian Culture www.techpolicy.press

For decades, the Chinese government has curated how the world sees Mongolian culture—packaging it as colorful, compliant, and “traditional.” But this carefully managed image erases what is actually happening—the systematic destruction of a once-vibrant digital ecosystem where Mongolian language, culture, and dissent flourished beyond state control.

The reality of life for Mongolians living in China, largely in the autonomous region known as Inner Mongolia, is a brutal and uncompromising repression of their voices—both on and offline. This repression should be setting off alarm bells around the world because of the precedent it sets about the harassment and surveillance of people who speak out against the government. It also reaches into Mongolian communities living outside of China.

As technology advanced globally, digital communities became essential hubs for Mongolians to communicate, preserve their language, and create new music and art. This dynamic and creative use of technology to support a minority culture was at odds with the Chinese government’s desire for uniformity and control.

But new research from PEN America’s Freedom to Write Center shows that nearly 89% of known Mongolian-language websites have either been shut down, restricted, or converted into Mandarin Chinese, with all mentions of Mongolian culture removed or sanitized to fit the China-approved narrative.

Taking the eradication further, more than 200 songs in Mongolian have been removed from online music libraries—including protest songs about the death of a Mongolian herdsman who was killed while defending his land from a Chinese mining company. The end result is that more than six million people are having their language ripped away from them.

Tech companies are complicit. There are several documented examples of how US companies have apparently helped power and enable the repression of free expression and culture in China, from companies like Microsoft pre-emptively censoring search results in order to operate in China, to cloud hosting company Vultr carrying out Tencent's request to shut down GreatFire.org, which uses AI to track censorship. Additionally, multiple US companies like IBM and Dell have enabled the spread of the surveillance infrastructure that has targeted minorities in China. By caving to state pressure, tech companies become willing enforcers of Chinese state narratives and human rights violations, not only in China but across the world as well.

All of this amounts to a blatant violation of Mongolians’ rights to free expression, language, and identity, and it shows what could happen the world over if private tech and social media companies continue to cave to government demands.