The three-day indie film production and marketing lab led by American producer Alix Madigan-Yorkin. Alix Madigan-Yorkin produced Winter’s Bone, directed by Debra Granik and starring Jennifer Lawrence, which was the winner of The Grand Jury Prize for best dramatic feature at the Sundance Film Festival in 2010. The film also received four Academy Award nominations, including best picture, and won The Gotham Award for Best Picture and two Independent Spirit Awards.

Organized as part of the American Film Showcase in collaboration with Golden Ger International Film Festival, this lab brought together over 20 talented Mongolian filmmakers. We had a chance to having an interview with her about her experience, Mongolian film industry, furthermore Hollywood.

- What was your impression after came in Mongolia?

- When I arrived at the airport, I was taken immediately out to the National Park. What an absolutely stunning country this is with such diverse landscapes and tremendous beauty. So that was my first impression. And then I saw some beautiful sites like the Princess Monastery, which I really loved. So being able to spend two days in the country and kind of unwind for a period of time was really great. And then I came here and UB has been beautiful too. And I really enjoyed exploring the city. And I went to the Monastery with the 80-foot statue of Buddha, which was incredible to see. So, it's been wonderful.

- I’m glad that you came here during the summertime. Thank you for sharing your experience with Mongolian filmmakers. I was told that you are conducting a three-day American Film Showcase workshop about film producing, financing, selling, and distribution. How is it going?

- It’s really wonderful. I’m here under with the program American Film Showcase which is a State Department initiative. And in these sorts of workshops, it’s very much an exchange of ideas. It’s not really a class. I learn very much from these labs myself and I feel like I take away things that make me better at my job. More like interesting, innovative approaches into how to get independent films made. And so, it's always great to have sort of an outside perspective, because it is so hard to get a film made. We talk about the idea of the film and how to identify a story that you want to tell and then taking that story through how to turn that into a script, how to sort of package it with filmmakers, actors and then take it through how you put together the financing structure then overseeing production and marketing, distribution, getting your film out there. So, it's pretty much like taking the sort of the birth of an independent film to the finish and getting it out there in the world.

- I hope you already have Mongolian film industry information before coming here. Have you seen Mongolian movies?

- Yes, I have seen a few. And the ones which I've loved was The Story of the Weeping Camel which was a huge hit in the United States. When it came out, the name was Weeping Camels.

- I think it was nominated for Oscar.

- Yes, it was a huge hit. And then I also saw this movie that I loved, which was also a Mongolian documentary called The Cave of the Yellow Dog. And Eagle Huntress was also a huge hit. I have seen quite a few. And what I've been really struck by in the class as well is it's a great group and I love the participants in this lab, and they’re very varied of experience, but there is a tremendous amount of experience as well. And people have produced films here, local films, etc. So I think there’s a tremendous passion and desire to make really indigenous films that explore Mongolian culture and this beautiful landscape and specific stories.

- Now we /Mongolians/ have a huge ambition to develop our film industry. As a film producer, please share your advice and thoughts with us about what kind of opportunity we have.

- Yeah, I think it’s always great when there can be certain grants and government assistance in helping local filmmakers realize their films, because it does seem like there is a very healthy tax incentive here that allows for foreign people to come here and shoot, which is amazing. Because this country is so beautiful and has so many different landscapes that you could shoot beautiful film here.

But I think it's wonderful to have sort of indigenous storytelling that explores Mongolian stories, culture, current events, themes that are important to Mongolians and getting those seen. I think it's always like for the government to provide grants, equipment, any sort of thing that it can do. I know that you have a very sort of healthy Film Commission here, but to not only encourage foreign films to come here and shoot, but also to encourage indigenous filmmaking, I think is really important, too. So, I would love to see more films from this region specifically.

- As looking at big film festivals like the Oscars, Asian films, artists, and actors have recently become more prominent. So I think Mongolians have a chance. What are your thoughts on this?

- I completely agree. I think there is a great demand now for authentic storytelling that comes from particular regions that people don't know that much about. That was the amazing thing about the Eagle Huntress did give USA window into this part of the world that not that many people knew about and certain traditions like folklore of this region. And there is such fascination with Mongolia which is part of the world.

So to encourage filmmaking from this region that can be widely seen. For instance, in the U.S theatrical market for foreign films has definitely eroded. There just isn't that desire to see foreign films in theaters that much anymore, unfortunately. But I do have to say that I do think streaming, not only through Netflix, of course, but through streaming services like movie and all those other sorts of more specialized streamers that allow for people to see foreign films, art films, more specialty films from other regions. So, I do think there's a great opportunity for Mongolians to show their work in a more global sense. I do recommend, though, always playing the film festival circuit. I think that's very important because that's the best initial exposure I think a film can have.

- Please share with us about your work experience of Winter’s Bone movie. How did you work on it?

- It was nominated for an Oscar for Best picture. And Debra Granik, the director, who was really the creative and the force behind the making of that film. It was based on a book by a man named Daniel Woodrell. And essentially Deborah spent a tremendous amount of time in this very specific The Ozark region of the US., researching and becoming acclimated and getting to know families there. So, the film had a really tremendous sense of authenticity to it, although it's a very universal story. It's interesting, I saw this film at the opening night film festival here, which is called The Loving Cord, and it was about a young Mongolian man taking care of his mother who has Alzheimer's or dementia. And what so struck me about that film is it showed a great deal about Mongolian culture and traditions, and they lived out on the land etc.

But there was such universality to that story because we all have elderly parents who were taken care of. And one of the things that I was so struck by it was the realization in Mongolian tradition for the youngest in the family to take care of their elderly parents. And I thought that was so beautiful, and that was not something that I was aware of. Unfortunately, in the United States, we don't do that. We’re very much opposite. We do not take care of and respect our elderly. So, I thought that was such a beautiful thing to bring up in a film. But I learned so much about aspects about Mongolian culture, and difference between city living and people who made their living on the land, too, and the dealings with animals. So, there was so much I learned from that one film, and that's the beauty of filmmaking that you can expose culture, storytelling and a way of life to different nations.

And so, with Winter's Bone, the story itself was universal is about a girl wanting to keep her family together. But it was set in a very sort of specific region that even not that many people in the United States know that much about.

- By the way, how was working with Jennifer Lawrence? Because she's my favorite actress. Especially I like her sense of humor.

- She does. She’s very funny. When we were working with her, she just turned 19, actually. She was super young. She's playing a 17-year-old. And I think the thing with Jennifer is, sometimes you realize certain people are just going to rise to the top, or they just have such a creative they just have like a spark and a talent, and your eyes are just drawn to them. She was so super young then. It’s just so funny to see the tremendous star that she became. And I've never really seen that. I’ve never really worked on a movie where that’s happened, too, is that you're working with someone and then all of a sudden there's huge Jennifer Lawrence’s. But yeah, it's very deserving. She’s incredible and remarkable actress.

- And what kind of movie are you working on right now? I think Dust is upcoming this year?

- I think Dust will be released probably in October. We’re in post-production now. Dust is a horror film that's set in the 1930s Oklahoma region about these horrific dust storms that happened. It stars Sarah Paulson as the mother and taking care of her two children. It was a hard film to shoot and had a lot of visual effects, which is a new thing for me, too. So, it's been a challenge. But we're hopefully rounding the curve and heading towards release sometime this year.

- How was the film industry during the pandemic time in Hollywood?

- Such a good question. The film industry really had incredibly strict mandates about COVID and COVID testing. If there was COVID, and positive case, shutting down production etc. We really took that to great lengths. And the film, as a result of the film business, was really kind of shut down for a period of time because it just became so incredibly expensive to shoot a film.

So, like little, tiny ones like the testing and the quarantining and all that stuff, it was just hard. Fortunately, we have emerged from that, so there’s not the required testing anymore. But it did hinder the film. It did definitely hinder really good questions. Definitely shut down the film business for a while.

- My next question is about Artificial intelligence. AI development has been rising in recent years. Once actor Tom Hanks said that he could appear in movies after death with AI technology. What do you think about this?

- It's such a good question, and I think it’s really interesting that you're asking about this. Right now, the writer strike is going on, which is we have unions in our business that protect the writers, the directors, and the actors. We have all these sorts of unions, and they protect salary and health, safety, etc. And right now, the writers and actors are going to be on strike, too. The main points in negotiation for the writers is controlling the use of AFI /American Film Institute/ in their craft. And what they're nervous about is, for instance, a studio will come up with a story idea and feed it into an AI machine and tell the story in the vein of this person, a famous writer, do it in this person's style, and an AI will be sophisticated enough to write an entire script in the style that this famous writer would have written it in. And so the writers are really nervous about that happening understandably. Or conversely, like, can a script be generated by AI, and then they hire a writer to work on that script. So it's really wanting to protect their own way of life and their own creativity and their own talent in a way, too. And the years that they have worked on perfecting their own talent and their craft. So AI, I think, needs to be legislated in that way, but I think it's going to become increasingly more utilized, which is nerve wracking, for sure.

- There is some news about the actress’ are paid lower than actors in film industry. What do you think about this issue?

- I think it's such a great thing that you're bringing that up. For me, it all boils down to the perceived value that actors have. And the white male actors they’ll always be perceived as the most valuable, which is so annoying in terms of foreign sales. So, if I'm trying to raise money for a film, if I have a white male actor who is of note attached. I’m going to have an easier time finding financing with them. So that's why they're paid more, usually, until really, we change our perceptions on what is perceived value. Are there people of color out there who are equally as valuable? Are there women, female actors who are equally as valuable?

We’ve seen so many examples of films doing really well, which have female leads and who have people of color in their leads, too. But that's what's really driving, I think these disproportionate salaries are the perceived value of a very specific type of actor. It’s completely unfair.

When I'm working on a film, I will make sure that the male and female actors, their colleagues, are always paid the same. I would never create that disparity. But the good thing is when these salaries emerged, there was this one film where they were doing reshoots of the film. There was a famous actress who’s doing in a famous actor, and the famous actor was paid almost ten times than famous actress was paid, and she found out about it. Rightly, she fired her agency who are the male actor should have also pushed for that, too. They are her advocates. So, it must be like an industrywide effort to make sure that salaries are equal.

- Thank you for your time with us!

The annual multinational peacekeeping exercise, code-named Khaan Quest 2023, started at Five Hills Training Area near the Mongolian capital on Monday.

"Mongolia always pursues peace-loving, open, independent, and multi-pillar foreign policy. The exercise has been making a significant contribution to increasing the peace support capacity of participating countries and strengthening their friendship and military trust," Ukhnaa Khurelsukh, president of Mongolia and commander-in-chief of the Mongolian Armed Forces (MAF) said at the opening ceremony.

Over 1,100 military personnel from 25 countries, including Mongolia, China, the United States, South Korea, Canada, India and Laos, are participating in the 19th edition of the peacekeeping exercise hosted by the MAF.

It is the first time for Laos to take part in it.

The exercise, which will last until July 2, consists of a command post exercise and a field training exercise.

Since its dispatch of two military observers in 2002, Mongolia has sent more than 21,000 troops to UN peacekeeping operations around the globe, according to the MAF.

Erdenes Tavan Tolgoi JSC, a major coal producer and exporter in Mongolia, said it is actively seeking stable markets for thermal coal and semi-soft coking coal alongside high-quality coking coal,, with a specific focus on expanding sales of thermal coal in 2023, local media reported.

The company exported a total of 11 million tonnes of coal during January-May. Mongolia accounted for 49% of China's coking coal imports, with Erdenes Tavan Tolgoi capturing a substantial 43% share of Mongolia's coal offtakes, it said.

The company achieved remarkable success through 18 online transactions, selling a million tonnes of coal and generating revenues of $126.7 million, marking an increase of $37.7 million.

Specifically, 576,000 tonnes exported by the company were coking coal, 352,000 tonnes were thermal coal, and 96,000 tonnes were classified as semi-soft coking coal.

The company, which planned to sell 23 million tonnes of coal this year, is striving to reach 30 million tonnes of coal sales.

(Writing by Emma Yang Editing by Harry Huo)

For any questions, please contact us by inquiry@fwenergy.com or +86-351-7219322.

In October 2022, the Government of Mongolia established a special regime at "Erdenes Tavantolgoi" JSC and appointed its authorized representative. Minister of Mongolia, Chief Cabinet Secretary D. Amarbayasgalan has recently worked at the company. In 2022, "Erdenes Tavantolgoi" company earned a total of USD 1.1 billion, and with the appointment of the authorized representative, it has sold 11.5 million tons of coal from January 1 to June 23, 2023, earning USD 1.2 billion in sales income. In other words, due to proper management in half a year "Erdenes Tavantolgoi" JSC has netted more than it did in the entire previous year.

The Government set a goal of increasing the price of coal and concentrating revenue from coal transportation domestically. Chief Cabinet Secretary D. Amarbayasgalan underlined that the commencement of coal trading on the exchange affected the increase of coal price. Specifically, 1.2 million tons of coal were sold for USD 140.92 million in 20 trades, and the income increased by about USD 40.0 million. One ton of hard coking coal is sold at a minimum price of USD 131.6 and a maximum price of USD 182.1. They report that energy and weak coking coals are sold through e-trading without sorting out.

"Erdenes Tavantolgoi" JSC is currently implementing eight projects. D. Amarbayasgalan got acquainted with the progress of Borteeg dry beneficiation, coal beneficiation, coal loading logistics center, Tavantolgoi-Zunbayan railway, Zag water pipeline, and Tavantolgoi power plant projects.

The coal concentrator will be put into operation in 2024, as the construction work is underway according to the schedule. The plant will create an opportunity to earn additional USD 60-80 per ton of coal currently sold. Successful implementation of these projects will increase coal export and income, ensuring the country's economic growth. Therefore, he stated that the Government would support the projects implemented in cooperation with the private sector.

General Manager of Ulaanbaatar City and Head of the Office of the Mayor M.Bayaraa informed about landscaping and green areas work and other timely issues.

Within the framework of the "One Billion Trees" national campaign initiated by the President of Mongolia, the city of Ulaanbaatar will plant 65 million trees out of 120 million trees for urban green areas and horticulture. Planting of 7.2 million trees in nine districts of the capital will be organized in stages until 2030. This year, it is planned to expand the tree nursery and grow seedlings of the required standard, and to do the above work within the framework of public-private partnership.

For the first time, a three-year contract on the green areas to be maintained by the private sector, has been signed with 25 professional enterprises. By concluding the contract for three years, the private sector will be able to participate in the public utility and create conditions for sustainable activities. Under the contract, enterprises will plant 237,000 flowers, 20,500 square meters of lawn, and 18,500 trees and shrubs.

Government Resolution No.340 stipulates that some government functions will be performed by the private sector. According to this, Office of the Mayor of Ulaanbaatar transferred 60 percent of its activities that could be performed by the private sector to enterprises. This year, it will reach 70 percent, and it is planned to transfer 100 percent to the private sector in the future. 71 percent of the city's green areas budget is spent on maintenance of public green areas, and 29 percent is spent on increasing it.

In 2023, Office of the Mayor of Ulaanbaatar plans to repair, renew, and expand sidewalks on an area of 15,463 square meters in a total of 20 locations in order to create conditions for citizens to travel in a healthy and safe environment. As of today, 4,248 square meters of work has been completed in 10 locations. Work on the remaining 10 locations will begin this week. Also, a contractor has been selected and contracts signed to complete the work of micro-gardens in 16 locations in the ger areas in July.

MEDIA AND PUBLIC RELATIONS DEPARTMENT OF THE GOVERNOR’S OFFICE OF THE CAPITAL CITY

The third and final day in Astana has come to a close and with smooth organisation, a huge and well attended arena, satisfying medals for the home team, entertaining mascots and more, it has been a great event.

The medal table was topped by Italy on day 1 and there they sat with no nation able to catch them on day 2 but without further Italian flags on the podium to extend and secure the lead either. The final block of the third day was a whole different story with a French and a Spanish athlete reaching the -90kg final, meaning, with other medals in the bag from the lighter categories, one of those countries would take the lead. Following a dazzling display from Mosakhlishvili, it was Spain who topped the table.

The two lightweight women’s categories, owned by Scutto and Giuffrida on Friday, indicated an Italian invasion that didn’t quite happen but it still demonstrated the team’s consistency and ability.

Spain continues to impress also, following the unbelievable victory of Garrigos at the World Judo Championships - Doha 2023, with Garcia Torne winning -66kg gold in Astana and his compatriots Martinez Abelenda, Gaitero Martin, Mosakhlishvili and Mendiola Izquieta all taking medals.

Athletes still on the junior circuit, Olympic medallists from more than one Games and coaches working with passion and real expertise have all mixed to produce an excellent judo event. Now the World Judo Tour hitches it’s wagons and rolls on to Mongolia, the country which kicked off the 2024 Olympic qualification period and now signals the start of the final year of points-gathering before we know who will compete in France’s capital next summer.

The Korean Army's Special Warfare Command is participating in a multinational U.N. peacekeeping exercise in Mongolia to enhance their combined operational capabilities, the armed service said Monday.

Thirty-five personnel from the command have joined the Khaan Quest exercise that kicked off Monday and continues through July 2. A total of 1,100 personnel from 35 countries, including the United States, India and Qatar, will attend it, the Army said.

Participants are to focus on honing their skills for peacekeeping missions, such as responding to improvised explosive devices, treating casualties and escorting convoys, as well as carrying out operations for humanitarian support.

"Troops plan to strengthen their combined operational capabilities and capabilities to conduct peacekeeping missions while training with multinational forces under scenarios that could occur during overseas peacekeeping operations," the Army said in a press release.

The U.S. and Mongolian militaries launched the combined exercise in 2003. The Korean military first joined it in 2006, when it was expanded into a multinational peacekeeping program.

Since 2019, Korea has sent the Special Warfare Command in odd-numbered years and the Marine Corps in even-numbered years to the exercise. (Yonhap)

For a company with “gold” in its name, Barrick Gold Corp. has become noticeably fixated on copper.

The world’s second-largest bullion producer recently approached First Quantum Minerals Ltd. to discuss a potential takeover, Bloomberg reported last week. And while the move was unsuccessful — Barrick’s informal overtures were rebuffed — its interest in buying a $17 billion copper miner provides the starkest evidence yet of a shifting focus at the company whose origins lie in Nevada’s gold veins.

Mark Bristow, Barrick’s swashbuckling chief executive, has talked for years about his desire to grow in copper. Now, the emphasis may be taking on a greater urgency: Barrick’s gold production has dropped to multi-decade lows, while longstanding industry rival Newmont Corp. recently announced a huge acquisition that will catapult it well out of Barrick’s league in gold.

While gold companies historically prided themselves on being “pure plays” for investors wanting exposure to bullion prices, Barrick sees copper as a strategic commodity underpinned by the demand for electrification. It’s often found alongside gold in orebodies, and can be processed using similar methods.

Copper is critical “if you want to be relevant” in mining, Bristow said on the company’s latest earnings call. “As a gold miner, you’re going to have to grow and include copper in your portfolio.”

Already, the Canadian miner’s biggest investment project is a $7 billion copper-gold project in Pakistan, which Barrick plans to start up in 2028 and could operate for at least four decades. It’s also studying an expansion at its Zambian copper mine, while scouring for new deposits across the Middle East, Asia and Africa.

Bristow isn’t alone in his hunt for copper. Mining executives and analysts have been sounding an alarm over growing shortages starting in the mid-2020s, as demand increases for copper in electric vehicles, wind and solar farms and high-voltage cables. The world’s biggest miners are all looking to grow in copper to take advantage of future price rises, at a time when there are few new projects being planned.

However, Barrick may have one advantage over the competition: Bristow has shown he’s willing to venture to riskier regions where many western miners are wary to invest. A geologist by training, the South African executive cultivated a reputation for building gold mines across the Democractic Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast and Mali while at Randgold Resources Ltd., the company he founded.

He brought that same approach to Barrick when the company bought Randgold in a no-premium deal in 2019. The company has revived the Reko Diq project in Pakistan after resolving a years-long dispute with the government over a 2011 decision to deny a license for the mine.

Bristow has also spoken openly about copper exploration in both Zambia and Congo. The company is currently in talks with the Congolese government about potential exploration projects, according to people familiar with the matter.

Bristow hasn’t made any big acquisitions since joining Barrick, though he has certainly tried. The company attempted a hostile, no-premium takeover bid for Newmont in 2019 that ultimately failed. He toyed publicly with the idea of a deal with copper miner Freeport-McMoRan Inc. At the same time, he’s been a vocal critic of getting bigger for the sake of it, maintaining that organic growth — not “stupid M&As” — is the best way to stay competitive in an industry with a litany of ill-timed deals.

Responding to the news of Barrick’s approach to First Quantum, analysts pointed to the difficulty in reconciling Bristow’s discipline in M&A with the likelihood that any deal would require a steep premium, given the industrywide scramble for copper assets. (By comparison, BHP Group Ltd. offered a 49% premium to OZ Minerals Ltd.’s undisturbed share price to seal a A$9.6 billion ($6.6 billion) deal for the Australian copper miner.)

Bristow has stressed that Barrick is still, at its core, a gold company. But the firm’s gold production has fallen to its lowest level since 2000 and its shares are down 5% this year. Newmont’s takeover of Newcrest Mining Ltd. would cement its position as the world’s top gold miner. The only metal output that has increased at Barrick since the Randgold merger is copper.

“It’s as strategic as gold is precious,” Bristow said recently.

(By Jacob Lorinc, with assistance from Michael J. Kavanagh, Thomas Biesheuvel, Dinesh Nair and Jack Farchy)

BEIJING, June 17, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- For mankind to have a better life and enjoy sound development, work must be done in combating desertification. Just like rolling a large rock uphill, endeavor in this regard may fall into relapse if any negligence occurs, said Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, at a symposium on strengthening comprehensive prevention and control of desertification and promoting the construction of key ecological projects in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region on June 6.

The president's inspection tour to Inner Mongolia has again highlighted his long-term focus on desertification. Experts said this top-down effort has made China's achievement unique in the world in tackling this environmental challenge.

From June 5 to 6, accompanied by officials from Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Xi was on a fact-finding mission at a nature reserve, a modern agricultural demonstration park, a forest farm and a water resources department in Bayannur.

On June 6, Xi presided over a symposium in the city of Bayannur on strengthening the comprehensive prevention and control of desertification and promoting the construction of crucial ecological projects, including the Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program (TSFP).

After over 40 years of unremitting efforts, China has made remarkable achievements in preventing and controlling desertification, and realized a historic transformation from "sand forcing humans to retreat" to "trees forcing sand to retreat" in key areas, Xi said during a speech at the symposium.

Economic and social development, as well as the ecological outlook in desertification-threatened areas, have undergone earth-shaking changes, Xi said, adding that the hazards of sandstorms and soil erosion have been effectively curbed.

Sandstorms have hit north China more frequently in the past two years because of abnormal weather conditions and climate change.

Inner Mongolia has been at the frontline of desertification, but President Xi's speech emphasized the effort in curbing desertification, and pointed out the scientific and effective way to achieve the goal, an official who attended the symposium told the Global Times.

He said the next step is to speed up green transition in the region, to implement the TSFP projects, and coordinate the tasks of returning farmland to forest and return some farm and grazing lands to a state of grassland.

Top-down effort

Improving the ecological environment has always been discussed by President Xi. During the two sessions in 2022, Xi told lawmakers from Inner Mongolia that the region should unswervingly prioritize ecological conservation and boost green development.

Xi has conducted multiple field trips to areas severely hit by sand damage, including Ningxia, Gansu, and Hebei.

During a 2019 inspection tour to Babusha Forest Farm in the northwestern province of Gansu, he joined local people plowing the sandy land. Using a trench digger skillfully, Xi plowed a two-meter-long trench in the sandy area with the workers in a few moments.

Babusha Forest Farm, located in Northwest China's Gansu province, had long been plagued by severe sandstorms. After years of sand control, the formerly dry and barren land is now covered by vegetation.

Seeing the enormous transformation in this place, Xi praised the workers as being like a "modern-day Yu Gong" for their persistent efforts in controlling sand and transforming the desert into an oasis. Yu Gong, the protagonist of an ancient folk tale, tried to move mountains blocking the path in front of his home and eventually succeeded.

The desertification area in China has been reduced by more than 4.33 million hectares since 2012. A series of significant projects gradually built a green ecological barrier along the sandstorm line in northern China. In particular, the three primary sandy areas of Maowusu, Hunshandake, and Horqin, and the surrounding areas of the Kubuqi Desert, have been transformed into an oasis, according to documents sent to the Global Times by the National Forestry and Grassland Administration last week.

By 2025, China will have a total of 2 million hectares of land of desertification sealed off for protection, with more than 6 million hectares of sandy land newly treated and 1.3 million hectares of rocky and degraded land harnessed, said the administration.

Talking about China's success in tackling desertification in recent years, Yang Fuqiang, a senior advisor on climate change and energy transition with the Energy Research Institute at Peking University, told the Global Times that "China has made top-down efforts for years to address desertification. The central and local governments march together toward the same goal, with continuous environmental policies."

Such seamless cooperation has led to miraculous achievements, making China's effort in this area unique in the world, said Yang.

Intl cooperation urgently needed

During his inspection tour, Xi also called for efforts to extensively carry out international exchanges and cooperation, fulfill the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, actively participate in global desertification control and environmental governance, place strong emphasis on cooperation with neighboring countries, support desertification control and prevention efforts in countries along the route of the Belt and Road Initiative, lead countries in policy dialogue and information sharing, and jointly respond to sand and dust storm disasters.

The sandstorms in North China this year were partly trigged by sparse rainfall, and sand damage to plant cover in Mongolia, experts explained.

When meeting with President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh of Mongolia in Beijing in November 2022, Xi said that China applauds Mongolia's "Billion Trees" initiative, and is ready to discuss with Mongolia the establishment of a cooperation center to combat desertification.

Last year, China and Mongolia signed bilateral documents jointly addressing climate change, desertification and other areas. China held an online seminar to share with Mongolia its experience in addressing desertification in Kubuqi Desert in China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, according to media reports.

China and Mongolia have always cooperated in managing sand and dust, but China could also aid Mongolia with experience and technology. Every year, funding from Chinese government departments and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification is applied for this, the Global Times learned from the Chinese Academy of Forestry.

Cao Xiaoming, a research fellow at the Institute of Desertification Studies under the Chinese Academy of Forestry, told the Global Times that his team monitored drought conditions in the Mongolian Plateau from 2011 to 2018 with remote-sensing techniques, together with scientists in Mongolia.

They found how climate change and human activities have led to dryer earth and desertification in the region, which covers both Mongolia and China's Inner Mongolia. According to Cao, the research is funded by the Chinese side. The results of the research are shared with Mongolian institutes.

Ma Jun, director of the Beijing-based Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, said the more frequent sandstorms in North China in recent years highlighted the urgency for China and Mongolia as well as other neighboring countries to continue their joint efforts to combat desertification.

A sandstorm is a natural phenomenon that knows no boundaries and can be transmitted via all kinds of routes, said Ma. He said that addressing the problem requires transparent sharing of information and mutual trust, as well as joint efforts from countries in the region.