China's Steelmakers Are Smashing Production Records www.bloomberg.com

China’s steelmakers are smashing production records by pushing furnaces beyond their typical limits, offsetting nationwide closures that may be even more swingeing than government estimates, according to Goldman Sachs Group Inc.

The world’s top producer has trumpeted sweeping reforms in the past two years that have shuttered aging and illegal plants, and shackled winter output in the dirtiest regions. At the same time, official data shows output at record highs. That’s partly because, with demand robust and margins high, mills have rewritten their steel-making recipes to push output beyond normal capacity, says Goldman’s Hong Kong-based analyst Trina Chen.

“For the same blast furnace, mills can deliver an extra 10 percent or more steel than before,” Chen said by email. Operators are using iron-rich ores to boost productivity, and raising the portion of steel scrap in their feed-stock to as much as 30 percent from about 10 percent historically. “The trend is continuing this year but they are approaching their stretchable limit,” she said.

China’s average daily output was a record in June, taking first-half volumes to a best-ever 451 million metric tons, more than half world production. The unprecedented run-rate has yet to trouble a prolonged period of profitability that most analysts attribute to steady demand growth, on top of the reforms driven by President Xi Jinping as a pillar of his economic agenda.

Baoshan Iron & Steel Co., the listed unit of China’s biggest producer, climbed in Shanghai on Wednesday, and other mills advanced after the country’s leaders signaled a fresh focus on bolstering economic growth. Reinforcement bar futures surged to their strongest level in five years.

Goldman said in July that Chinese steel stocks could rally another 60 percent in the next year, and that’s after profits already jumped 151 percent in the first half, according to the China Iron & Steel Association.

China’s capacity has shrunk by about 200 million tons to around 800 million tons, taking into account state-ordered closures and the long-term idling of facilities after the global steel market collapse of late 2015, according to Goldman. Those figures are out of step with the consensus, though. Consultancies Kallanish Commodities Ltd. and Shanghai Steelhome E-Commerce Co. estimate net cuts have been deeper, but that capacity remains at about 1 billion tons, a figure supported by government data.

“We have taken account of steel capacity that went into ‘long-term maintenance’ in early 2016 due to poor profit conditions and bank credit withdrawal,” Chen said. “They remain ‘under maintenance’ until now, which suggests most would not recover despite the improved profit of the industry. This is the major difference between our numbers versus official reported numbers.”

Debate around China’s steel industry is often clouded by doubts over official statistics, and the challenge of gathering accurate data on a sprawling and fragmented industry. The country’s overcapacity problem is “not fundamentally solved,” the listed unit of top producer China Baowu Steel Group said in April. The other end of the spectrum from Goldman includes China Beige Book, a New York-based consultancy that closely monitors Chinese industry. It says steel capacity has actually risen since 2015 as new commissions offset shutdowns.

“The Chinese just claimed they cut hundreds of millions of tons of capacity, and what we’re saying is they actually added it,” Leland Miller, the researcher’s Chief Executive Officer said by phone. The organization conducts regular surveys of 100 or more companies in the steel sector to gauge their investments, hiring and other activities.

For Miller, the industry’s improvement has come, not through supply-side reforms, but from stronger consumption and a wave of speculative demand from investors pouring into steel futures. Recent stimulus promises from Beijing are also fueling hopes that steel’s renaissance will extend through the end of the year as spending on infrastructure picks up.

— With assistance by Martin Ritchie, and Krystal Chia

Mongolia seeks opportunity to supply agricultural products to Japanese market www.montsame.mn

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ On July 31, Minister of Food, Agriculture and Light Industry B.Batzorig received representatives headed by the Governor of Japan’s Shizuoka Prefecture Heita Kawakatsu. Minister B.Batzorig expressed his gratitude to Mr Heita Kawakatsu for making contribution to expanding ties and cooperation between the two countries.

Construction complete on Inner Mongolia high-speed railway www.chinadaily.com.cn

HOHHOT -- Construction was finished Tuesday on the first high-speed railway in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, according to the builder.

Controversy rises around Irregular Parliamentary Session www.zgm.mn

One day past the President’s requested date for summoning Irregular Parliamentary Session, there’s no sign of a gathering. A number of MPs are working at their constituencies, whereas some express readiness to participate in case the session is summoned. President of Mongolia Battulga Khaltmaa sent an official letter requesting to summon irregular session of parliament on July 30, following the same request by 26 Members of the Parliament. The requests are based on Section 3 of Article 25 of the Constitution of Mongolia, Section 1 of Article 12 of the Law of Mongolia on President and Section 3 of Article 16 of the Law of Mongolia on the State Great Khural.

The letter said, “26 Members of the State Great Khural sent an official letter about “summoning the Parliament for an irregular session regarding the nullification of the Parliament’s 7th Resolution, issued on July 8th, 2016, in consideration of the incompetence of Kh.Enkhjargal, General Director of the Independent Authority Against Corruption, in carrying out the legally bound duties of the government body, which is designated to combat corruption, given that major corruption cases such as ‘the MNT 60 billion’ subside after reaching the Independent Authority Against Corruption”.

Working group conclusion on OT investment agreement among issues to be discussed
Chairman of the State Great Khural Enkhbold Miyegombo replied to the first letter sent by the President, saying, that the date of the irregular Parliamentary session will be set after the corresponding Standing Committee discusses the agenda of the session. In the 12 days since the letter was sent on July 19, and the President requested the date set on July 30 in a separate letter, the Standing Committee had not convened. There’s also growing controversy around what issues should be discussed, but most MPs expressed that they agree on the need for the irregular session to be summoned and the abundance of issues that needed to be discussed even before the spring session ended. The so-called “MNT 60 billion” case continues to be highly debated among politicians.

The ruling Mongolian People’s Party announced on Monday that it will focus on its members’ ethics, saying that the debate around the case is creating havoc within the party. Member of Parliament Baasankhuu Oktyabri previously said the ZGM Daily that the conclusions made by the Parliament’s working group on Oyu Tolgoi’s Investment agreement and the project’s benefits on Mongolia need to be discussed, and shouldn’t wait for the fall session. Several fatal accidents took place killing at least three children. The continued heavy rains causing damage to road and bridges, costing human lives in some areas are issues that need the Parliament’s attention, MPs are saying. Member of Parliament Bold Luvsanvandan told the ZGM Daily on Monday that he expects the Irregular Session to convene this week. Sources say that the Speaker’s staff started contacting MPs to learn their locations. Irregular session may take place in case there are sufficient number of MPs in Ulaanbaatar city.

Agricultural machinery leasing project continuing www.montsame.mn

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ The Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Light Industry has organized purchasing of agricultural machinery and irrigation equipment with a soft loan of USD 24.5 million from the Chinese Government.

Mongolia and Hungary to intensify renovation project of BioKombinat www.montsame.mn

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ On July 31, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Light Industry B.Batzorig received Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Hungary to Mongolia Mihaly Galosfai and Head of Division at Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary Adam Szucs.

Adaptation Fund allocates 4.5 million USD for Mongolia www.gogo.mn

The Ulaanbaatar City Environmental Department announced that the Kyoto Protocol Adaptation Fund (AF) Board has approved a 4.5 million USD project in Mongolia. The project aims to build resilience to flooding in the ger settlements of Ulaanbaatar c, as well as reduce vulnerability to wind and dust storms and air pollution.

Turkey warns Mongolia over manipulation by FETO www.aa.com.tr

Turkey's Foreign Ministry late Monday refuted that a Turkish man with links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) had been kidnapped in Mongolia.

US answers Belt and Road with own Indo-Pacific investment plan www.asia.nikkei.com

NEW YORK -- The U.S. declared a "new era" in American commitment to the Indo-Pacific on Monday, with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announcing a $113 million package aimed at developing the region's digital economy, energy sector and infrastructure.

Although Pompeo made no mention of China, experts say the plan is meant to defend U.S. interests in the region as China forges ahead with its own trade and infrastructure investment program, the Belt and Road Initiative.

Pompeo said he will leave Wednesday on a trip to Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia, where he will discuss the plan, which he called a "whole-of-government" mission.

Speaking at the Indo-Pacific Business Forum in Washington on Monday, Pompeo said, "The Indo-Pacific, which stretches from the United States west coast to the west coast of India, is a subject of great importance to American foreign policy." He called it one of the greatest engines of the future global economy and that the American people "have a stake" in the peace and prosperity of the region.

Speaking about the pledged $113 million, Pompeo said the "funds represent just a down payment on a new era in U.S. economic commitment to peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region."

Of the $113 million, an initial investment of $25 million will be made toward improving partner countries' digital connectivity to expand opportunities for U.S. tech exports. Nearly $50 million will be earmarked this year to help partners manage energy resources, with approximately $30 million to be spent on infrastructure.

At multiple points during his remarks, Pompeo appeared to take jabs at China's activities in the region. The U.S. "will never seek domination in the Indo-Pacific, and we will oppose any country that does," he said.

In explaining the concept of a "free and open Indo-Pacific," Pompeo said that "free" expresses the desire for "every nation to be able to protect their sovereignty from coercion by other countries." By "open," the U.S. is looking for "a peaceful resolution of territorial and maritime disputes," he said.

"The United States of America does not invest for political influence but rather practices partnership economics," Pompeo added.

The vision of a "free and open" Indo-Pacific region was first announced by President Donald Trump at last year's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Vietnam.

Alyssa Ayres, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and former deputy assistant secretary of state for South Asia, said Pompeo's speech lacked clarity on what the strategy was and that the funds were small in comparison to Chinese investments. "The $113 million is not comparable to, say, the $62 billion that China is providing for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. The U.S. needs to show how they are going to leverage this investment and which countries, such as Japan, India, Australia and Singapore, that it intends to cooperate with."

Ayres said that Pompeo's scheduled visit to India in September, when the U.S. and India will hold two-plus-two talks involving the foreign affairs and defense ministers, will be an opportunity to deepen discussions on the Indo-Pacific strategy.

Tanvi Madan, a fellow at the Brookings Institution and the director of The India Project at the think tank, said "there will be questions about the scale of American funding and broader involvement, as well as how this all fits in with the administration's approach to trade."

"In some ways Delhi sees the Trump administration as more clear-eyed about Beijing than its predecessor," Madan said. "But there are concerns about the nature of U.S. involvement and questions about reliability and consistency, as well as the administration's America First approach."

While Monday's announcement was presented as an economic decision made for the benefit the American people and the companies doing business in the region, it also stands to assuage fears among U.S. allies that China will fill a leadership gap left by an increasingly inward-facing White House.

Pompeo acknowledged that "some are wondering about America's role in the region" after Trump's withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a 12-country agreement that served as the cornerstone of former president Barack Obama's Asia strategy. The 11 countries that remain a part of the pact are Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam.

The secretary affirmed Washington's commitment to economic engagement in the region, noting that American companies would continue to expand and advance U.S. economic interests, "while we work with our partners to craft better and higher-standard bilateral trade agreements."

"We seek to work with anyone to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific, so long as that cooperation adheres to the highest standards that our citizens demand," Pompeo said, in what appears to be criticism of China, whom the U.S. has accused of militarily overstepping its bounds and engaging in unfair trade practices.

Mongolia's unemployment rate drops 11.1 pct in H1 www.xinhuanet.com

ULAN BATOR, July 30 (Xinhua)-- The number of jobless people in Mongolia went down 11.1 percent from the same period last year, with 25,800 people registering themselves as unemployed in the first half of this year, data from the National Statistical Office of Mongolia showed Monday.