VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: Good afternoon, everyone.

Mr. Prime Minister, welcome to the White House.

PRIME MINISTER LUVSANNAMSRAI: Thank you.

VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: We have been looking forward to your visit. And we, of course, have a lot to discuss that is about continuing to strengthen the relationship between our nations.

Mongolia has been a reliable democracy and friend in the Indo-Pacific for more than three decades, and the partnership between our countries has helped to ensure stability and prosperity in the region. And the American people have a profound stake in the future of the Indo-Pacific.

As a proud Pacific power, it is in our vital interest to promote an Indo-Pacific region that is open, interconnected, prosperous, secure, and resilient, which is why President Biden and I have each been, since we have been in office, to the Indo-Pacific three times each. And as Vice President, I’m proud that I have met with nearly three dozen regional leaders, here in Washington and in the region, in bilateral meetings such as this one and at multilateral summits.

Since we have taken office, the President and I have made it our intention and focus to reinforce our defense and deterrence commitments and our security presence in the region. We have provided an ambitious and affirmative economic agenda for the region that will deliver growth for the American people and the people in that region. And together with our allies and partners, we have defended international rules and norms in the region and around the world which underpin our security and prosperity.

All of this work in the Indo-Pacific is guided by a key priority of the Biden-Harris administration, which is to strengthen our alliances and partnerships in the region.

Which brings me to the agenda for our meeting today: which will include, Mr. Prime Minister, the work that we will continue to do to strengthen the strategic partnership between the United States and Mongolia; the work that we will do and continue to do together to work on global challenges, which, of course, include the climate crisis but also the importance of upholding democracies and human rights; and, of course, addressing the threats to international rules-based order.

Today, I am pleased to announce that the next steps in our work together will be about further expanding our partnership. In particular, we will discuss the work that we will do together to strengthen our space cooperation. You and I spoke briefly about the beginning of the next era — and, for you, what that means, in terms of your leadership and your vision for the future. And certainly, strengthening our space cooperation would be a part of that agenda — including, of course, using our space cooperation to think about how we strengthen the economic prosperity and development of our nations.

We will also sign an Open Skies Agreement, which will open the door to direct flights between the United States and Mongolia.

And we will increase support for cultural exchanges, including the — the work that you are doing in terms of English language education in Mongolia.

And together, we will also discuss the work we will do to support Mongolia’s efforts to drive economic-sector and private-sector economic engagement and investment in your country.

All of this reflects the commitment that the United States has to our friends in Mongolia and in the region.

And again, I welcome you, Mr. Prime Minister. And I look forward to our conversation.

Thank you.

PRIME MINISTER LUVSANNAMSRAI: Thank you so much.

Thank you, Vice President Harris, for kind — of your words. And thank you for hosting me —

VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: Of course.

PRIME MINISTER LUVSANNAMSRAI: — and my delegation to the White House.

VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: Thank you.

PRIME MINISTER LUVSANNAMSRAI: So, it’s a great honor to meet you, the first female vice president in U.S. history.

Our two countries established diplomatic relations — 1987. Since that time, our bilateral relationship has grown from strength to strength. Mongolia is best known as the birthplace of Genghis Khan and for the great history of Mongolian Empire and green landscapes and never-ending blue sky.

In 19- — 1990s, the people of Mongolia voted for democracy and the market economy. And we are very proud Americans regard us — an oasis of democracy for us. So — and, for us, United States is not only our strategic third neighbor, but also the guiding North Star on our democratic journey.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank American people for their continued support and commitment to democratic reforms, and for the progress of market economy, and respect for human rights and freedom.

The past 30 years, our democratic journey hasn’t been easy. But Mongolia has been and will always be moving forward.

Nelson Mandela once said, “A winner is a dreamer who never gives up.” Mongolia will keep dreaming and keep fighting for our democracy, and we will do everything we can to achieve our goals of Vision 2050 for next 30 years.

I’m looking forward to having very open and constructive talks with Vice President Harris regarding our strategic partnership, which forge closer links between our two nations and people. We will discuss about high-tech solutions, including space and AI, and share our insights about global issues, such as climate change and geopolitical issues.

During my visit, I am pleased that Mongolia and U.S. will issue joint statement strategic third neighbor partnership, and we are going to sign an economic cooperation roadmap. These strategic documents will play a significant role in expanding our trade and economic cooperation and attracting more investment from the U.S.

Mongolia economy, you know, mainly based on mining sector. We have great potential in copper. Soon, Mongolia will become one of the four largest copper producers in the world. Our copper from the Oyu Tolgoi mine will not — benefit not only Mongolia but also the world because — and because high-tech solutions is part of our commitment for fight against climate change.

We also have great potential in non-mining sectors, such as tourism and creative industries; green energy; agriculture, including cashmere; and transport and logistics.

I am very glad that U.S. commitment to supporting us and our economic — diversifying our economy. Mongolia is landlocked but not mine-locked.

Mongolia is one of the over 40 landlocked countries in the world. We face great challenges in terms of transport and logistics. We seek your support raising these issues in the international stage.

We will sign the Open Skies Agreement you mentioned between Mongolia and U.S. I am excited that we are going to commence direct flights, our two countries, Q2 2024. It’s going to be great opportunity to promote tourism and trade, business and investment.

We have taken many steps to improve our legal environment and for investment and private-sector partnership, including constitutional reforms and digital transformation and fight against corruption.

Mongolia has just legislated for English as (inaudible) foreign language in secondary education. There were some challenges; it took more than 20 years to make this decision.

We are confident that it’s significant step to support education for our next generation. These achievements can only be sustained through partnership with longstanding democratic countries, such as the U.S.

In this regard, my government and Google will sign landmark agreement to promote education and digital transformation in Mongolia next — this week.

I am pleased to be here on my first official visit to the U.S. as the prime minister. I have fond memories of my time studying in the U.S. It’s great to be back.

Yesterday, I walked around Georgetown, where I — I used to live in a dorm.

So — and I look forward to catching up with some of my friends. Next time, I hope to visit Cambridge and drop by Harvard Kennedy School.

VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: (Laughs.)

PRIME MINISTER LUVSANNAMSRAI: I hope that history will record my visit this week as the start of a new chapter in our friendship and the strategic partnership.

Madam Vice President, thank you again for your kind hospitality and look forward to welcoming you in Mongolia. Thank you so much. It’s great honor for us.

VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: Thank you. Thank you.

PRIME MINISTER LUVSANNAMSRAI: Thank you. Thank you so much.

VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: Thank you. Welcome. Thank you.

I’m going to admit from the start that I have never read a travel blog before. In fact, I don’t read blogs in general. But this little adventure of mine was such a moving experience that I feel uncharacteristically obliged to commit it to writing… So if you find this tale wanting, know that I am no blogger. ^.^

Why Mongolia? An oasis of democracy landlocked between Russia and China on the other side of the world to me… Well, there is a group of talented musicians who are entirely responsible for this. They are called The Hu, and their music is amazing! They blend traditional Mongolian music – such as throat-singing and the Horse Head Fiddle – with western Rock/Metal, and if you haven’t heard this combination before – YOU NEED TO! In the years since I discovered them, I have seen them live three times and each performance was as epic as the last! Without trying to sound pretentious, there is something almost spiritual about being blasted in the face with heavy rock guitars and that guttural ooOoAaaHhh of the throat-singing at the same time. If they return to the UK, my presence is guaranteed. And, as a result of becoming a HU-ligan, coupled with a mega-dose of lockdown-induced boredom, I developed an interest in Mongolian culture and history. I decided that if I ever found the money for the flights, I would visit the country one day. The flights are incredibly expensive from the UK, and as a single-parent living on a very limited income, I believed I was unlikely to be able to do it in the near future. For the time being, the internet was my ‘fix.’ Which leads me to a very relevant part of this adventure…

I rarely join fan-groups on social media, and I also tend to avoid metal fan-groups in particular. Whilst most metal-heads in real life are some of the most amazing people I know, toxic masculinity and gate-keeping are rife on metal fan groups on social media; where anonymity offers a shield from consequences. The Hu Official International Fan Group, however, is one of the friendliest and fun fan groups I have ever come across. Founded by an American named Larry – and subsequently adopted as the official group for the band – it currently has over 60,000 members and is a pretty busy group! The nice atmosphere meant it quickly became one of my favourite places to hang out in on social media, particularly during the dreary lockdown months. I made some awesome online-friends, including Larry, and he invited me to join the Admin team running the group. At the time, I was unemployed thanks to COVID, so this little job helping my favourite band was a sanity-saver to say the least! I’ve become very fond of my colleagues – a fellow Brit named Joe, Perri from Canada, and ‘Shongi’ from Mongolia – and call them my Hu brothers. I’ve been friends with them all for about four years now, and because Shongi has taught me so many things about Mongolia in that time, I began affectionately calling him my ‘favourite Mongolian teacher.’

Things are a little different now than when I first began working for the group. I have a wonderful partner (Chris) who has been fully indoctrinated *cough* I mean…uh.. convinced….into sharing my love of The Hu and all-things Mongolian. He was my ‘roadie’ and chauffeur when I interviewed Jaya at their Cardiff concert in 2022. He buys me Hu merch to make me smile. He took me to see them in Bristol in 2023 and just generally indulges my fan-girling! I never imagined that he would indulge me so far as to suggest that we went to Mongolia together as a family – me, him and my son. But he did! We booked the flights in early 2023 and when I told Shongi what we had done, I pretty much squealed the news at him! Is it possible to fan-girl about a country too…….?

Of course, being the wonderful human that he is; Shongi insisted on helping us plan the trip. He very generously offered his apartment for us to stay in, and said he would take time off to show us around. Our plans nearly got completely hampered when his health took a turn for the worse, and he was in hospital for a long time. But to my sincere relief, he made a great recovery and so our plans got back on track. All I had to do was wait until July 1st…

It’s not possible to fly directly from the UK to Mongolia. However it was possible to get connecting flights if we flew there via Istanbul with Turkish Airlines. If you’re a Turkish Airline employee hoping to read a good review, turn back now. Our flight to Istanbul left London very late, so we missed our connecting flight. There wasn’t another flight to Ulaanbaatar that day, or the next day, so we lost two days of our holiday being stranded in Istanbul. We were driven to a hotel that was over an hour’s drive from the airport. We were exhausted, hungry, and thoroughly p*ssed off. Our fellow hotel guests were pretty much all in the same position as us – stranded due to flight delays. So I quickly learned that Turkish Airlines seem to have a major problem with getting people to their destination on time. If I ever visit Mongolia again, I will never do it with Turkish Airlines again. Between this and the nasty way they treated me on the way home, they can can take a long walk off a short pier.

So instead of arriving in Ulaanbaatar on the 2nd as we were supposed to, we had a look around Istanbul instead. Whilst I was thoroughly displeased with being stranded there, it was nice to get to visit the Hagia Sofia and the Blue Mosque. I love Turkish food, so there was that too. Happily, the country is much nicer than the airline.

On the 3rd of July, we finally made our way to Mongolia. Turkish Airlines managed not to screw it up this time, and I was relieved to be able to tell Shongi that we were actually on our way! Due to the time difference and the eight-hour flight, we would arrive on the morning of the 4th July. (Quiet, colonials!)

I could have built the Hagia Sofia myself faster than it took the luggage carousel to deliver our bags after we landed. Though I admit my impatience was mostly due to how excited I was by then. Four years of online friendship, and I was finally getting to meet Shongi in real life for the first time! Chinggis Khan international airport isn’t overly big, so finding him in arrivals was pretty easy! – And thus, a hug four years in the making happened…

Suffice to say, my grumpiness at Turkish Airlines was eradicated and I was now in “Deep Joy” mode. Though I would once again like to apologise to Mongolia for bringing the British weather with me. It was an Eternal Grey Sky that day.

Shongi’s car was an amusing experience. Knowing that Mongolians drive on the right-hand side of the road, I went to the right-hand side of his car to get into the passenger door. Except…. The steering wheel was there. Shongi explained to me that most vehicles in Mongolia are Japanese imports – and they drive on the left in Japan. For those who know me and my uncanny ability to make a pun out of nowhere, it will come as no surprise that it took me less than fifteen minutes to inflict this ability on Shongi.

“So there’s no Mongolian cars?”

“Nope. Mostly Prius’s.”

“Mongolia needs it’s own vehicles. And they should call them Chinggis Cars….”

I’ll show myself out.

As we were all exhausted from the flight, this day was not to be a particularly adventurous one. It took us several hours to get to Shongi’s apartment because the traffic in Ulaanbaatar is ungodly. I will never complain about London traffic again. Ever. And the potholes should be renamed to ‘chasms.’

I aged in that traffic.

But we did visit the State Department Store, which contains a shop that any Hu fan is familiar with – the Hunnu fashion store! This was high up on my list of places to visit, so we had a good look around there. Shongi took us grocery shopping after a lunch of Buuz and Tsuivan (traditional Mongolian dishes for the uninitiated) and we had an early night to sleep off the travel exhaustion.

The next day was pretty busy, starting off with a visit from my friend, and favourite Mongolian YouTuber, Battur! (YT: @Hachapuri). I’ve been friends with him online for a couple of years so it was pretty cool to meet him in person too!

Next we went to visit Ganaa Bogts, who makes The Hu’s bespoke leather merchandise. We met him at his office and he showed us around, explaining all the UNESCO awards and cultural preservation work that he does. He showed us how to play the Jaw Harp, which I absolutely sucked at! But Chris did pretty well…

Ganaa Bogts Office with Shongi

Ganaa then showed us around the workshop where the merchandise is made. I have no idea how to make anything from leather so it was pretty interesting seeing all the various tools and machines they use! Ganaa also completely spoiled us with generosity by giving us several gifts, including a beautiful knuckle-bones game in a gorgeous leather case. And if that wasn’t generous enough, there was one gift in particular that was so amazing I was rendered pretty much speechless! The Hu’s producer, Sir Dashka, made a limited number of handwritten lyrics to Yuve Yuve Yu – Ganaa had the last remaining one and gifted it to me. I am rarely speechless, but that did it. Even though it is now framed and proudly displayed in my home, I still can’t quite believe it! If you are reading this, good Sir, I thank you so much once again!

Me and Ganaa

Our final outing for the day is best described as me having the ultimate fan-girl experience. We were able to visit Sir Dashka at The Hu’s studio – and to say I was excited is the understatement of the century! The band themselves were on tour in Europe at the time, so they were not present. But being in their studio and seeing for myself where the magic happens was just brilliant. Sir Dashka showed us around the studio and took pictures with us, and we were able to sit and chat with him for a little while. We also got a sneak peak at two new instruments for The Hu! They are just so beautifully crafted and I can’t wait until their images are released because they really are something special and the other Hu fans are gonna love them!! Of course, I have no pictures myself for obvious reasons. But here’s one of me and Shongi with the mastermind behind The Hu himself! I’m so honoured and humbled that he took he time to see us! As fan-girl experiences go, this one was magnificent!

***

We had a chilled morning the next day as we were still feeling the effects of long-haul flying. Shongi took us to a well-known Chinese restaurant called Yu Long for lunch, and we stopped off at Gandan Monastery afterwards.

The monastery itself is beautiful, and outside there are so many pigeons it would rival Trafalgar Square! There is even an elderly lady selling seeds! (Not for tuppence, though…) Chris was mobbed by so many hungry pigeons that we decided he must have been a Pigeon God in a previous life. Pigeon silliness aside, the most beautiful coincidence happened. Last year, at London Naadam, my son made friends with a boy called Orgil, who taught him to wrestle and convinced him to enter the kids wrestling competition – in which he came third! Whilst filming a pigeon perched delicately on Chris’s head, I heard a young voice call my son’s name, followed by my son shouting “MUMMY IT’S ORGIL!!!”

Eating khuushuur together

Orgil’s family, who normally live in London, were visiting family in Mongolia and one of their relatives runs a gift shop outside the monastery. Stopping here wasn’t actually on our itinerary and was a hastily-made decision as we were passing it! Myself and Orgil’s parents were blown away by the coincidence – and we’ve now swapped contact details because this friendship was clearly meant to be! It’s wonderful watching your child make core-memories..

Later on, we watched the Tumen Ekh Ensemble perform traditional Mongolian music, dance, and contortion. I’ve watched a fair amount of contortionists before, but seeing it live is something else! As a parent, it was funny as heck watching my son’s eyes bulge when the lady supported her entire bodyweight with her teeth!

Shongi took us to the Shangri La Mall afterwards where we had dinner at the ‘Mongolians Restaurant.’ And it was here that we discovered that my son is addicted to Tsuivan.

***

So that was enough of the city. One cannot possibly go on holiday to Mongolia and not experience the countryside. As much as I had thoroughly enjoyed the city adventures, I was itching to get out of the city and see the Steppe!

Shongi took us to a nomadic homestead about an hour’s drive from Ulaanbaatar. I knew I would enjoy the views, but I honestly did not expect them to take my breath away like it did. Oh, if my teenage self could see me… I can remember groaning and eye-rolling at the ‘boring’ views on family holidays… A very different story now! You could have just left me there..

The homestead itself was a wonderful experience. My son and I rode on a Yak, and he got to ride a camel too. We watched a migration demonstration which is a fascinating display of human ingenuity and animal patience. We watched how they cut the sheeps wool and how they make it into felt for the Gers. We also went inside Gers where we tried Aruul and Airag, and were treated to a performance of traditional Mongolian music by the local nomadic band. Hearing throat-singing through headphones or speakers is one thing, but hearing it live only a few feet away from you is so much more fun! I found that as with opera singers, you don’t appreciate how loudly they can sing until you’re right next to them doing it.

After a traditional Mongolian lunch (above), we went horse riding. This is another thing which cannot be missed out on a holiday to Mongolia. It wasn’t my first time on a horse, but I can still count the number of times I’ve done it on one hand. So I am by no means “experienced.” But it was a vastly different experience to anything I’d done before, and not least because I had never been to the Mongolian Steppe before…

I don’t think any words in my language could adequately describe the freedom of being on the Steppe either on foot or on horseback. “Not a care in the world” is close.. Well, my reveries were occasionally interrupted because ten-year-olds seeing a horse do a massive wee do giggle quite loudly. But that aside, this experience was pretty magical.

OK I laughed too.

On the way home, Shongi got me to do some of the driving. I wanted to drive in Mongolia at least once to say I’d done it, and as we were out of the city, it was a good opportunity. I’ve driven in Europe, America, and the Middle East before, so I’m no stranger to “foreign” driving. I also hold a bus and a truck licence, so it’s fair to say I’m a confident driver. I had no trouble driving us back towards the city for around forty five minutes or so, but I did, however, draw the line at driving in the city. Noooooooo thank you.

***

The next day, Shongi took us to Terelj National Park and we visited Turtle Rock and Aryabal Temple. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.

As with the homestead, the views were just amazing. The temple, both inside and out, is a work of art. Before we left, I got to hold an eagle and my son held a buzzard. I presumed it would be reasonably heavy but my goodness! I couldn’t do it for overly long, and not least because my arms resemble twigs. But as cool social media photos go, I have to admit this one is pretty badass.

***

The next part requires a little explaining. A few years ago, I met Julie Veloo, the founder of The Veloo Foundation in Mongolia, through The Hu’s fan group when Jaya accompanied her on a charity horse ride. I love her work. The foundation provides daycare facilities for children living in extreme poverty in Mongolia, and my BattleBots team mates and I ran a fundraising campaign to send robotics kits out to her kids in 2021. Julie and I have often chatted online and we really wanted to meet while I was in Mongolia. To make this happen, Shongi took us to a local Naadam festival in Erdene Soum which Julie was attending.

Meeting Julie was awesome! And it was also nice to be able to experience a local Naadam celebration. Although I was very much looking forward to the grand celebrations in the city, local ones offer a more intimate experience.

But do not ask about the ‘toilet’…

On the way back from Erdene Soum, we checked off another one of my bucket-list items: the Chinggis Khan Monument. 40 metres of steel grandeur! I honestly can’t say whether the view of it, or the view from it was superior. Both were spectacles in their own right.

For the nerds: it is the world’s tallest equestrian statue.

***

The next day, we headed a little way outside of the city for the horse-racing. The site where it takes place has all kinds of food and entertainment tents, bouncy castles and amusements for kids, and horses everywhere! It was here that we tried khorhog (lamb cooked in a container with hot stones and water). Which leads me to a side story: When I saw The Hu play in Bristol in June, I got to talk with Temka for a little bit after the show. He knew I was going to Mongolia and told me that khorhog was a must-try! I asked for other recommendations too, particularly restaurants – to which he answered “Ah, but I love my Mum’s cooking the best!”

Owing to this conversation, I told Shongi that this was something I really wanted to try! So I was delighted when he found a place. I will thank Temka again for the recommendation because it was yummy!

I know very little about Mongolian horse-racing so I’ll leave that to people with better knowledge than me. But it’s pretty fun seeing the horses go thundering past!

I tried some archery and I sucked at that worse than the Jaw Harp. The words of my darling dearest should sufficiently sum up my performance:

“I think you hit a worm…”

The photos look cool though.

As I have now tried archery and horse-riding, I have done two of the three national sports of Mongolia. This leaves only wrestling to go.

…….which I did not attempt. My back is probably grateful.

***

The next day was the opening ceremony at the Naadam stadium in Ulaanbaatar. It’s quite something seeing horses and motorbikes parading around a stadium! The music was great, and not just because they played The Hu! There were some other singers which I recognised such as The Baatar. The whole thing was about two hours long and was great from start to finish. Although I’m sure all of the performers would have appreciated it if I hadn’t brought the British weather with me again..

Though it wasn’t originally on our schedule, I mentioned to Shongi earlier in the week that I’d love to visit Bandga’s Tattoo Parlour. Bandga does The Hu’s tattoos and is the most famous tattoo artist in the country. I didn’t expect that he would have the time, especially at short notice, but Bandga was happy to have me visit and get a tattoo! I can tell you it was a real honour getting a tattoo by this lovely, and incredibly talented man! And as if it wasn’t special enough already, Bandga gifted me the tattoo! In the words of Shongi: “Mongolian hospitality at it’s finest!”

Morin Khuur (horse-head fiddle)

We headed out to Aglag Temple after I got tattooed. There’s a hiking trail up to it which is adorned with rock sculptures of animals from Buddhist legends, and they’re fascinating. Like Aryabal Temple, this one was another work of art both inside and out – and the view from up there was just breathtaking. I will let the photos speak for themselves again…

***

The next day, we had a break. We never fully recovered from the jetlag, and doing activities every day took it’s toll. So a well-earned rest was in order! But our final activity day involved visiting the brand new Chinggis Khan museum and Sukhbaatar Square. (Parliament square)

I have limited photos from the museum because they had a confusing photo policy. Some displays allowed photography while others didn’t, and the enforcement of the policy was varied. So in the spirit of not getting told off, I didn’t get my camera out much. I did, however, get a photo of the door handles, which are swords!

And the giant cashmere painting of the man himself…

And a few photos from Sukhbaatar Square…

We also visited the post office and bought some Hu stamps to take home, along with some extras for other Hu fans to win as prizes in competitions on the fan group. You can’t buy them anywhere else, so we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to help share some with other fans!

Alas, this was our final day and the adventure must come to a close. The less I say about the flights home, the better it is for Turkish Airlines. I will seriously never fly with them again.

Saying goodbye to Shongi was the hardest part. His generosity and hospitality towards us was outstanding. We could not have had this awesome adventure without him and I really cannot thank him enough for all he did for us. I am going to miss him terribly.

And yes, I have apologised for the Chinggis Cars pun.

Bite me.

Coming home to my own bed and a British cup of tea was very welcome, but it didn’t take long for the comedown to kick in. I miss the views, the music, the warm welcome everywhere we went, and of course, Shongi. I sincerely hope that I will see him again. I’ve been calling him my Hu brother for a while but it has so much more meaning now. One day, dear friend…

For now, I will remember Mongolia fondly and I will forever dream in colour.

The volume of goods handled by Ganqmod Port, the largest highway port on the China-Mongolia border, hit nearly 20 million tonnes in the first seven months of this year, up 172.61 percent year on year.

Notably, the port handled more than 19 million tonnes of imported coal during the period, a surge of 188.55 percent year on year, said the port administration on Tuesday.

Last year alone, the port completed the customs clearance of over 19 million tonnes of goods, more than twice that of 2021. Since the beginning of this year, it has adopted intelligent and streamlined customs clearance measures in a bid to further improve its efficiency.

Situated in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Ganqmod Port is a major energy import channel for the country and an important hub on the China-Mongolia-Russia economic corridor.

The State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ankhbayar Nyamdorj received Ambassador Patricia Danzi, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Director General of the Swiss Development and Cooperation (SDC), the Swiss Agency for international cooperation.

During the meeting, they discussed the relationship between the two countries and further cooperation in the fields including economy, banking, finance, e-transition, climate change, energy, disaster management, and humanitarian cooperation. With the funding and support of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, numerous important projects and programs worth more than CHF 200 million have been implemented in Mongolia, which made valuable contributions to the social and economic development of Mongolia, underscored State Secretary N. Anhbayar, expressing gratitude to SDC.

He also stressed the importance of implementing mutual visits and enriching bilateral relations in economic context within the framework of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries next year.

Ambassador Patricia Danzi noted that Switzerland pays attention to expanding relations between the two countries, intensifying economic cooperation. She also pointed out that the country gives emphasis to cooperation in the fields of climate change, e-development, culture, and humanities.

1. Overview of the human rights and democracy situation: Mongolia is committed to democracy, human rights and the rule of law, being able to look back at three decades of progress in those areas. Mongolia has also demonstrated its commitment to cooperation with international partners in these fields. Implementation of the relevant laws has however encountered challenges. During the reporting period, the reform of the judiciary has remained an important priority, with institutional capacities remaining low but continued positive normative and organisational developments. The public protests of December 2022 have shown the immense public interest in good governance and in fighting widespread corruption. Relevant amendments to the Criminal Code have been adopted, though the anti-corruption laws remain only partially implemented and investigations are perceived by public opinion as politically motivated.

The controversial proposals for new NGO laws were presented in the Parliament's agenda in January 2022, but were withdrawn for further deliberation following concerns expressed by civil society. In 2022, the Commissioner in charge of the National Preventive Measure against Torture within the National Human Rights Commission of Mongolia (NHRCM) was appointed. Mongolian authorities also strive to counter gender-based violence and gender inequality, which remain to be tackled. A new law on labour and sexual harassment entered into force on 1 January 2022. The new Labour Law regulates non-discrimination and introduces a clause on no harassment and violence in the workplace. However, concerns remain related to the lack of data on sexual harassment and on the low number of investigation and prosecutions in this area. Mongolia dropped by around 20 positions in the World Press Freedom index in 2022 (from 68 in 2021 to 90 in 2022 out of 180 States).

2. EU action - key focus areas: As regards protecting and empowering individuals, a major focus of activities in 2022 has been on gender equality and women's rights (including the fight against domestic violence and sexual harassment), the rights of the child, non-discrimination and rule of law. Action took various forms (project work, participation in conferences, social media activities).

During the reporting period, the EU's Budget Support Programme (Main objectives: 1. Promoting Employment; 2. Improving Transparency in Public Finance) provided a platform for supporting the creation of effective, accountable and inclusive institutions. In addition, technical assistance was provided aiming at aligning Mongolian domestic legislation with international labour standards.

In line with the objective of promoting a global system for human rights and democracy, the EU implemented a joint initiative with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on business and human rights in 2022. The EU also supported several projects in favour of civil society (empowerment of young people, strengthening women's participation in community-level decision-making and in economic activities).

3. EU bilateral political engagement: Human rights related topics were officially discussed by the EU and Mongolia in the Human Rights Dialogue that took place on 16 June 2022 in Ulaanbaatar. There was a particular focus on the complete abolition of the death penalty (removed from the Criminal Code, but still mentioned in the Constitution) and on child labour (need to prohibit the use of child jockeys in local horse races). The Human Rights Dialogue was followed by the fourth Meeting of the EU – Mongolia Joint Committee on 17 June 2022. Human rights issues were also discussed (from a GSP+ perspective) during the Trade Subcommittee held on 10 March 2022 by videoconference.

4. EU financial engagement: In 2022, the EU continued implementation of its sector budget support programme to boost employment/TVET reforms and improve transparency in public finances in Mongolia. A tranche of EURO 6,5 million was disbursed in December 2022. An EU supported technical assistance project with UNDP, FAO and, ILO and UNIDO, continued its implementation with focus on transparency and oversight of the budget; employment creation in the non-mining sectors for youth and for persons with disabilities as well as compliance with international labour standards. In 2022, the EU continued to support human rights and democracy through several ongoing projects, carried out with Member States or other partners. The focus included: support to the governments commitment to ratify international human rights conventions; the fight against child labour; stakeholder consultations for possible future support to the reform of the judiciary; human rights due diligence through the business and human rect and civil society empowerment.

5. Multilateral context: In October 2022 the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention visited Mongolia. They issued a preliminary finding that the Mongolian justice system had progressed significantly. The Working Group however also found that arrests without a judicial warrant were still the norm rather than the exception, and individuals were routinely interrogated in police custody without the presence of a lawyer. Adequate implementation of the law could not be taken for granted and decisions need to be effectively translated into practice. Courts were short of staff with case overload. A final report on the visit will be presented to the Human Rights Council in September 2023.

The Committee on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination against women (CEDAW) and the Committee under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) also issued reports and concluding observations on Mongolia in 2022. The CEDAW observed that the absence of any court cases of discrimination against women and girls tried under the Criminal Code over the past five years may indicate that the definition of discrimination is too narrow and the burden of proof too heavy. The Committee called on Mongolia to adopt comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation to prohibit all discrimination against women and girls in public and private spheres. The Committee also recommended that Mongolia adopt a comprehensive strategy to eliminate discriminatory stereotypes about women’s roles and responsibilities in the family and society. The ISECR welcomed the legislative, institutional and policy measures taken to increase protection of economic, social and cultural rights in Mongolia, such as the Law on Prevention, Combat, and Reduction of Social and Economic Impacts of COVID-19 (2020), and the National Programme on Reducing Air and Environmental Pollution (2017). In general recommendations focused on the seemingly lack of awareness of the covenant among the authorities and the public.

The People's Bank of China (PBOC), China's central bank, said Tuesday that upon approval by the State Council, it renewed a currency swap agreement for another three years with its Mongolian counterpart, the Bank of Mongolia.

The value of the currency swap totaled 15 billion yuan (about 2.1 billion U.S. dollars), or 7.25 trillion Mongolian tugrik, a statement released by the PBOC said.

The renewal of the agreement will help further deepen financial cooperation between the two countries, promote bilateral economic and trade exchanges, and maintain the stability of the financial market, the statement added.

Sparsely populated and sandwiched between two authoritarian powers, Mongolia is positioning itself as a resource-rich, democratic partner for the U.S. in Asia amid growing competition between Washington and Beijing over the minerals needed to pursue cleaner energy.

That push will be at the heart of a visit by Mongolia's prime minister to Washington this week, as his country attempts to draw itself closer to the West in a bid to diversify its economy without angering its powerful neighbors of Russia and China.

"The visit will be crucial in delivering a different understanding for the U.S. side about our democracy," Prime Minister Oyun-Erdene Luvsannamsrai, speaking through an interpreter, said in an interview ahead of his visit.

During the visit that begins Wednesday, Oyun-Erdene is expected to meet with Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken. He is also slated to visit the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Mongolia's unique geographic positioning and rich mineral reserves are winning it increasing attention on the global stage. The Washington visit is the latest of several high-profile engagements by Oyun-Erdene, who welcomed French President Emmanuel Macron to Mongolia in May and sat down with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing in June.

Mongolia was long a Communist country closely tied to the Soviet Union. Since transforming into a democracy in 1990, it has kept close links to both Russia and China, and relies on them for imports of electricity, fuel and many other goods. Most of Mongolia's mining production, including significant volumes of copper ore and coal, is sold to the Chinese market.

Courting the U.S. at a time of heightened tensions between Beijing and Washington carries risks for Mongolia, as China has shown itself willing to punish its smaller, landlocked neighbor for perceived slights. After Mongolia in 2016 welcomed a visit by the Dalai Lama—the Tibetan spiritual leader whom China paints as a separatist—Beijing raised fees on Mongolian mining products and caused traffic to back up at an important border crossing.

The risk of shortages of minerals like copper that are used in electric-vehicle batteries, as well as solar and wind energy systems, is helping draw the U.S. and Mongolia closer, with Washington increasingly concerned about China's domination of the raw materials used in clean energy production.

"The global energy transition is ongoing but it's also at risk," Jose W. Fernandez, undersecretary for economic growth, energy, and the environment at the State Department, said at an event hosted in July by the Center for Strategic and International Studies after touring Mongolian mines.

While Mongolia's government says it has tens of millions of metric tons of such minerals in reserve, issues including a lack of infrastructure and corruption have held back foreign investment. In June, the State Department signed an agreement with Mongolia's government to help the country's resource sector attract foreign capital.

The next step, Oyun-Erdene said, would be forming partnerships with more international companies to jointly explore more of the country's mineral resources. He acknowledged that the country's current data might not be trusted by international companies.

"We would like to be more open and transparent to our investors, especially Western partners and including the United States," Oyun-Erdene said, adding that he also has been discussing potential investment in the country with SpaceX founder Elon Musk.

Mongolia approved the use of SpaceX's Starlink satellite-internet service in July. Oyun-Erdene said that he and Musk, who has long envisioned sending humans to Mars, recently discussed establishing training centers in Mongolia because of what the prime minister said were physical similarities between its Gobi Desert and Mars.

SpaceX didn't respond to requests for comment.

Geopolitically, Mongolia is among the developing countries that are treading carefully between the U.S. and its allies on one side and China and Russia on the other, as the war in Ukraine grinds on. Ulaanbaatar has abstained from votes at the United Nations that have condemned the invasion.

As their relations with the West deteriorate, Russia and China are seeking to rewire global power flows in ways ...

The prime minister in the interview called for a ceasefire and the start of negotiations as soon as possible, but said that Russian people should not be blamed for the actions of their government.

"We're incredibly concerned about this tension because the challenges and consequences of this will be not just geopolitical but also economical," he said.

The prime minister's trip to Washington comes as Mongolia returns to economic health following a slowdown during Covid-19. The country's economic growth was just 1.6% in 2021, dragged down by China's pandemic border closures. With the border open again, the economy is on track to grow by around 5.2% in 2023, according to a World Bank report released in April.

The country has had discussions this year with the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, each of which could offer hundreds of millions of dollars worth of new loans, said Bold Javkhlan, Mongolia's finance minister. The government is planning to use the money it raises for infrastructure projects, said Javkhlan.

Austin Ramzy and Matthew Thomas contributed to this article

STATE DEPARTMENT — Mongolian Prime Minister Oyun-Erdene Luvsannamsrai and Foreign Minister Battsetseg Batmunkh arrive in Washington on Tuesday to start their meetings with Vice President Kamala Harris, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other senior U.S. officials this week.

“@VP (Vice President Harris) looks forward to welcoming Prime Minister Oyun-Erdene of Mongolia to the White House on August 2. The visit will highlight the strength of the U.S.-Mongolia Strategic Partnership and our ongoing work to deepen political, economic, and cultural ties,” said Harris’ press secretary Kirsten Allen in a message posted to the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

This is the first official visit of a Mongolian prime minister to the United States since 2018.

The visit comes as the two countries are expanding cooperation on regional security and Mongolia’s deposits of rare earth minerals, which are crucial to the manufacture of high-tech items and renewable energy products, such as battery-powered electric vehicles.

In June, the U.S. and Mongolia signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to strengthen critical mineral supply chains in the Indo-Pacific.

Mongolia is a top global mineral supplier with 80 diverse deposits, including rare earth elements, copper, fluorite, gold, iron, and zinc. Rare earth element reserves in the country make up around 16 percent of the world's total.

Oyu Tolgoi, located in Mongolia's South Gobi region, is one of the largest known copper and gold deposits in the world.

“The U.S., along with many other countries, is eager to ensure a reliable supply of rare earth elements and other critical minerals for energy technologies, defense, and other uses,” said Tom LaTourrette, senior physical scientist of the RAND Corporation.

He suggested a good outcome from the visit would include an agreement between the countries for the U.S. government to move beyond “encouraging” private sector investment to incentivizing it financially, perhaps by including Mongolia as an eligible partner for the clean vehicle credit under the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act.

In May, Mongolia, South Korea and the United States addressed North Korea’s ongoing nuclear weapons development and numerous ballistic missile launches.

“It was the first trilateral meeting that we've had between our three democracies,” U.S. Ambassador to Mongolia Richard Buangan told VOA in a recent interview.

Mongolia is one of the few countries that maintain a close relationship historically with North Korea. Both nations have embassies in each other's capitals.

U.S. officials also told VOA that Mongolia, a landlocked country with 90% of its exports going through China, would benefit from diversifying its economy. Sandwiched in between Russia and the People's Republic of China, officials describe Mongolia as situated in “a geo-politically delicate position.”

Political leaders in Mongolia’s capital, Ulaanbaatar, “very much are following events in Russia,” said Buangan. “We obviously hope that they can continue to play a more constructive role as we seek an end to this conflict [in Ukraine] which Russia has started.”

Driven by a strong desire to maintain stable ties with Russia, Mongolia has opted for “neutrality” and has abstained from United Nations General Assembly resolutions that condemn Russia’s invasion in Ukraine.

The Mongolian delegation’s visit to Washington will focus on meetings with senior U.S. officials as the Congress is in August recess. Prime Minister Luvsannamsrai has no plan to make public remarks at Washington-based think tanks this week, according to diplomats.

A global charm offensive to secure the key minerals needed to replace fossil fuels has drawn U.S. diplomats to a country surrounded by America’s leading adversaries.

Mongolia — nicknamed “Minegolia” by some academics due to its abundant reserves of copper, gold and coal — hosted a handful of American officials on a mission in June to ease the United States’ dependence on China for the natural resources at the heart of several clean energy technologies.

The trip, the second for a senior State Department official this year, sheds light on U.S. efforts to forge pacts with countries that could supply American manufacturers ramping up their industrial production of solar and wind farms, and millions of electric vehicles.

“Mongolia is facing a generational opportunity. And that generational opportunity is a need for us to find critical minerals and rare earths in order to achieve our clean energy goals,” Jose Fernandez, undersecretary of State for economic growth, energy and the environment, who led the overseas trip, said in an interview with POLITICO’s E&E News.

China dominates the global flow of raw or processed minerals, and American officials say the U.S. strategy is meant to diversify supply chains that feed materials and components to the growing number of domestic companies that are manufacturing low-carbon products.

That effort gained urgency after U.S. relations with Beijing abruptly deteriorated a year ago, raising concerns that China could restrict access to minerals as the United States races to exponentially increase production of renewable energy and electric vehicles. It also provides some insight into the Biden administration’s sales pitch: that the United States will give countries a better deal for their resources and do it while hewing to environmental, social and corporate governance principles.

“What we offer is a way for them to do so responsibly, in a way that observes and adheres to ESG principles and that benefits the community,” Fernandez said.

That’s appealing to resource-rich, but financially poor, countries that want to reap the benefits of the current mineral rush to grow their economies. It’s particularly important to Mongolia, which is experiencing major impacts from climate change and faces local opposition to mining projects.

But the United States is in an uphill battle.

It has to convince countries that American companies won’t squeeze their lands and people for resources, and then leave them with an environmental mess. And it wants to encourage them to support regulations that attract private investment, officials say. Tensions around logistics and geopolitics are also at play. In Mongolia, there are no overland routes out of the country that don’t touch China or Russia.

Yet if the United States fails to find new mineral sources, its climate goals are at risk.

Turning over every stone

The International Energy Agency estimates that demand for critical minerals will surge over the next two decades if renewables are ramped up fast enough to meet the goals of the Paris climate agreement.

For lithium, demand is expected to grow 40-fold, followed by graphite and cobalt — all of which are needed to make electric cars. Demand for copper, which Mongolia has in abundance and is used in solar and wind technologies, could rise by more than 40 percent.

“Within a decade, shortages of critical minerals such as lithium, graphite and copper will increase prices and slow the deployment of clean energy technologies,” Fernandez said at an event hosted recently by the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

That coming crunch has put the Biden administration into overdrive. American officials have contacted mineral-producing allies as well as frontier nations like Mongolia to secure raw materials.

Fernandez said Mongolia is an example of what the United States hopes to achieve through the Minerals Security Partnership, an initiative with 14 mostly Western countries to bolster sustainable investment in the mining, processing and recycling of critical minerals. It includes Australia, Canada, Japan, South Korea, India and several European nations. It puts an emphasis on the private sector and works to ease the risk for businesses through diplomatic support and government-backed financing mechanisms like the Export-Import Bank of the United States.

Earlier this year, the partnership announced a set of principles for participating companies and governments that emphasizes transparency, ethical business operations, environmental protection and support to local economies.

Mongolia is just one potential source of raw materials. In the past year, Fernandez has also traveled to South Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Mexico. And in May, he held virtual talks with officials in Argentina to discuss critical minerals projects.

Where Mongolia fits on the priority list isn’t clear. It produces 1.4 percent of the world’s copper and 1 percent of its molybdenum, an element mixed into steel alloys used for solar panels and wind technology, according to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), a global standard for good governance of oil, gas and minerals.

But much of its mineral wealth remains untapped.

In a troubled neighborhood

Mongolia is one of the most sparsely populated countries on the planet.

Under the feet of its nomadic herders, a potential wealth of minerals has yet to be fully discovered. But large-scale mining projects have faced barriers because of concerns about environmental degradation on the Mongolian steppes, where its people are culturally entwined with the landscape.

Climate change is already leading to more frequent drought and dust storms in Mongolia, and its capital, Ulaanbaatar, suffers from some of the world’s worst air pollution due to the extensive use of coal.

Encompassed by Russia to the north and China to the south, Mongolia has sought to lessen the grip of its neighbors by engaging with countries such as the United States, France and Australia. France reportedly struck a deal to source minerals, including uranium, from Mongolia during a visit in May by French President Emmanuel Macron.

“Mongolia is very keen to maintain economic relationships with countries other than Russia and China in order to keep their hand and their political and economic interests balanced,” said Piper Campbell, who served as U.S. ambassador to Mongolia in the Obama administration.

It’s a delicate balancing act. Roughly a quarter of Mongolia’s economy depends on mining, and nearly 90 percent of its export revenue comes from minerals — most of which go to China, either for processing or to pass through its ports.

“If the Chinese say, ‘We’ll stop buying coal and copper from you,’ Mongolia’s economy stops,” said Amar Adiya, a former Mongolian diplomat who runs Mongolia Weekly, a newsletter for investors.

In the future, some of the minerals could be loaded onto planes and flown out, experts say. But many of those materials would first need to be processed into less bulky products. That would require new investments to build processing facilities — a notoriously polluting business that could spark local resistance.

Some of the minerals could potentially go to South Korea, where they could be processed and exported to the United States and its allies. Fernandez’s visit to Mongolia included a first-ever trilateral meeting with Korea about collaborating on critical mineral supply chains.

For now, American outreach to Mongolia seems to be as focused on maintaining an ally in a region of the world that’s difficult to navigate for Western nations as a full-fledged effort to create the conditions to procure minerals, according to experts.

“Mongolia is clearly geostrategically important given its location between Russia and China, and as a bulwark of democracy and in a somewhat troubled region of the world,” said Campbell, the former ambassador.

The United States is already providing Mongolia with technical assistance to map resources and improve the transparency of the tendering process, Fernandez said. The next step could be to help implement a project.

The Minerals Security Partnership is currently vetting 15 projects on several continents that it could eventually support through a combination of finance, political backing or technical support. That’s down from close to 200 projects just nine months ago, Fernandez said.

He wouldn’t reveal where they are, saying companies want that information kept confidential to protect potential investments. He hopes to be able to announce a project by the end of the year and then “start moving the needle.”