The matter was touched upon during the official talks between Prime Minister U.Khurelsukh and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on April 9 in Beijing. The sides exchanged views on broadening bilateral cooperation in political, economic, trade and humanitarian spheres and international and regional matters.

While expressing mutual satisfaction with the development of bilateral relations in line with mutual respect of national independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the two countries, the Prime Ministers of Mongolia and China expressed their readiness to maintain the frequency of mutual high-level visits and intensify political and parliamentary exchange.

Within the objective to increase bilateral trade turnover to USD 10 billion by 2020, the dignitaries agreed to intensify operations of cooperation mechanisms, correlate development strategies, eradicate non-tariff barriers in bilateral trade, strengthen cooperation in industrial capacity and investment and reinforce the implementation of projects focusing on economic development and household livelihoods. For instance, the sides reached agreement on launching Chinese Government-funded projects in the nearest future, including on the Ulaanbaatar Wastewater Treatment Plant and ger area re-planning .

The sides also emphasized the potentials in bilateral cooperation on sectors such as agriculture, energy, mining and transit transport and backed the activation of relevant dialogue by corresponding bodies. Furthermore, the Prime Ministers expressed their commitment towards the development of trilateral cooperation with Russia and moving forward the priority projects between the three countries. 
Kh.Aminaa

According to the official Xinhua news agency, Li told Mongolian Prime Minister Ukhnaa Khurelsukh in Beijing the two sides should work together more in industry, agriculture and animal husbandry, energy and minerals, transportation, pollution control and infrastructure construction.

Landlocked Mongolia sells the bulk of its exports to China, its southern neighbour, and it has also been trying to make greater use of China's transport network as well as its commodities exchanges in order to gain access to foreign markets.

Mongolia aims to become a "transit corridor" to facilitate trade, as well as oil and gas deliveries, between Russia and China, and has sought funding for transportation projects from the China-backed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

But some nationalist politicians in Mongolia remain suspicious of Beijing's intentions, and have expressed concern that China's growing economic might could further enhance its political dominance in the region.

(Reporting by David Stanway; Editing by Michael Perry)

The Office of the President, Development and Democracy NGO and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation Mongolia co-organized a forum on natural resource governance on April 6 at the Tuushin Hotel.

President Kh.Battulga attended the event and delivered opening remarks, in which he cited Mongolia’s ranking in the 2017 Resource Governance Index report by the Natural Resource Governance Institute, where Mongolia received 54 score in revenue management, 40 in state-owned enterprise and 42 in sovereign wealth funds indicators.

“The experts have highlighted the incompliance with resource management laws and regulations in Mongolia although they are existent in sufficient number. The Constitution of Mongolia states that the land, its subsoil, forests, water, fauna and flora and other natural resources shall be subject to people’s power and State protection. Unfortunately, the people are not benefitting from the natural resources today,” said the President, calling for action to reduce the inequality of resource distribution.

“We must reflect on our mistakes and discuss how we can better enforce the policy, which makes this forum a timely event,” President Kh.Battulga said.

The forum was the main event following five workshops addressing natural resource governance in Mongolia. Members of the Landtag of German state Saarland attended the forum.
Kh.Aminaa

Today, April 9 China’s Premier of the State Council Li Keqiang will offer an official welcoming ceremony in the Great Hall of the People. Following the ceremony, two PMs will hold official talks and sign official documents.

Moreover, Prime Minister U.Khurelsukh will pay courtesy calls on the Chinese President Xi Jinping and Li Zhanshu, executive chairman of the National People's Congress session presidium.

During the talks and meetings, the two sides will discuss a wide-range of issues on deepening Mongolia-China comprehensive strategic partnership meeting, in particular advancing mutually beneficial cooperation in politics, economy, trade and humanity, and exchange views on regional and mutually interested international matters.

In addition, relations and cooperation documents will be signed today between the government and organizations.
The official visit will continue till April 12.

M.Unurzul

Brodsky noted that Czech is ready to support to build a new world standard winter sports palace in Mongolia, in collaboration with the Czech Republic’s Hockey Association and other organizations.

“I am confident that traditional friendly relations between our countries will keep developing not only in sports and culture sectors but also in all fields,” he said. Member of Parliament B.Javkhlan noted, “Mongolia is fully capable of developing winter sports. Our athletes are highly valued for their skills in Asia. I am grateful for the cooperation.

The new palace will give opportunities to our athletes to conduct training during all four seasons.”

The meeting was attended by the first Secretary of the Embassy of Republic of Czech Oldrich Zajicek, commercial and economic consultant Iva Sustakova, President of the Skating Union of Mongolia D.Bolormaa, and Secretary of the Mongolian Ice Hockey Federation A.Mergen.

It will be the third military and technical cooperation program between Russia and Mongolia, he added.

"We are working on a draft of the third medium-term military and technical cooperation program for 2019-2024 with the [Russian] Federal Service for Military and Technical Cooperation," Enkhbold said at talks with Russian Defense Minister General of the Army Sergei Shoigu.

"In addition to other programs for the development of strategic partnership between the two countries, military and technical cooperation will continue under medium-term military and technical cooperation programs," the Mongolian defense minister said.

He thanked the Russian defense minister for military and technical assistance provided to Mongolia and the possibility granted to Mongolian children to study at Russian Defense Ministry cadet schools.

"I’m very satisfied with the results of the meeting with the defense minister. We will work to strengthen the relations between our armed forces and Russia’s Central Military District," Enkhbold said.

"We have agreed that the Russian defense minister will visit us in September this year," he added. According to the Mongolian defense minister, bilateral military and technical cooperation was discussed at the meeting as well.

"We have decided to resume and extend the relevant agreement that expired last year," Enkhbold said. Besides, the officials agreed to increase the number of Mongolian students at Russian military educational institutions, including at the Presidential Cadet School in Kyzyl.

Russian businessmen:

Andrey Akimov – Chairman of the Management Board of Gazprombank.

Vladimir Bogdanov – President of Surgutneftegaz, one of the largest Russian oil companies.

Sergey Fursenko – the president of Zenit Football Club and former Russian Football Union president.

Suleiman Kerimov – majority owner of Russia’s biggest gold producer, Polyus.

Igor Rotenberg – chairman at NPV Engineering, the largest Russian power generating company Mosenergo and Gazprom Bureniye.

Andrey Kostin - VTB Bank president.

Kirill Shamalov – non-executive director of Russia’s biggest petrochemicals company, Sibur.

Andrey Skoch – part owner of the steelmaker Lebedinsky Mining.

Russian companies added to the sanctions list:

Rosoboronexport – Russia’s top defense corporation, involved in trading of a wide range of military and double-purpose products, technologies and services.

En+ is a major Russian energy-related company, associated with the sanctioned tycoon Oleg Deripaska. The company was evaluated at $8 billion at the IPO in London last November, and was the first placement of a Russian company on the stock exchange in London since the introduction of sanctions against Russia in 2014.

United Company RUSAL is the world’s second largest aluminum company by primary production output. The company is linked to En+, which is its largest shareholder with a controlling stake of 48.13 percent.

Eurosibenergo is the second-largest property of En+ and is the largest independent Russian power producer.

The blacklist also includes other companies affiliated with Deripaska, are agriculture company Agroholding Kuban; one of the largest diversified industrial groups in Russia, Deripaska-owned Basic Element, financial company B-Finance Ltd; car, train and plane producer Russian Cars (Russkie Mashiny).

Another notable company in the sanctions list is Renova, a Russian conglomerate with interests in aluminum, oil, energy, telecoms, affiliated with Russia’s 10th richest billionaire, Viktor Vekselberg, who is worth $12.4 billion, according to Forbes.

Since Mongolia and Kyrgyzstan forged diplomatic ties in 1992, bilateral ties have been continually developing in the political sphere with reciprocal visits growing increasingly frequent.

There are 18 agreements effectively regulating the two countries' cooperation at present, and more are on the agenda, the Kyrgyz news agency AKIpress said.