1 PRIME MINISTER OYUN-ERDENE VISITS EGIIN GOL HYDROPOWER PLANT PROJECT SITE WWW.MONTSAME.MN PUBLISHED:2025/04/30      2 ‘I FELT CAUGHT BETWEEN CULTURES’: MONGOLIAN MUSICIAN ENJI ON HER BEGUILING, BORDER-CROSSING MUSIC WWW.THEGUARDIAN.COM PUBLISHED:2025/04/30      3 POWER OF SIBERIA 2: ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY OR GEOPOLITICAL RISK FOR MONGOLIA? WWW.THEDIPLOMAT.COM PUBLISHED:2025/04/29      4 UNITED AIRLINES TO LAUNCH FLIGHTS TO MONGOLIA IN MAY WWW.MONTSAME.MN PUBLISHED:2025/04/29      5 SIGNATURE OF OIL SALES AGREEMENT FOR BLOCK XX PRODUCTION WWW.RESEARCH-TREE.COM  PUBLISHED:2025/04/29      6 MONGOLIA ISSUES E-VISAS TO 11,575 FOREIGNERS IN Q1 WWW.XINHUANET.COM PUBLISHED:2025/04/29      7 KOREA AN IDEAL PARTNER TO HELP MONGOLIA GROW, SEOUL'S ENVOY SAYS WWW.KOREAJOONGANGDAILY.JOINS.COM  PUBLISHED:2025/04/29      8 MONGOLIA TO HOST THE 30TH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF ASIA SECURITIES FORUM WWW.MONTSAME.MN PUBLISHED:2025/04/29      9 BAGAKHANGAI-KHUSHIG VALLEY RAILWAY PROJECT LAUNCHES WWW.UBPOST.MN PUBLISHED:2025/04/29      10 THE MONGOLIAN BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT AND FDI: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITY WWW.MELVILLEDALAI.COM  PUBLISHED:2025/04/28      849 ТЭРБУМЫН ӨРТӨГТЭЙ "ГАШУУНСУХАЙТ-ГАНЦМОД" БООМТЫН ТЭЗҮ-Д ТУРШЛАГАГҮЙ, МОНГОЛ 2 КОМПАНИ ҮНИЙН САНАЛ ИРҮҮЛЭВ WWW.EGUUR.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/04/30     ХУУЛЬ БУСААР АШИГЛАЖ БАЙСАН "БОГД УУЛ" СУВИЛЛЫГ НИЙСЛЭЛ ӨМЧЛӨЛДӨӨ БУЦААВ WWW.NEWS.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/04/30     МЕТРО БАРИХ ТӨСЛИЙГ ГҮЙЦЭТГЭХЭЭР САНАЛАА ӨГСӨН МОНГОЛЫН ГУРВАН КОМПАНИ WWW.EAGLE.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/04/30     "UPC RENEWABLES" КОМПАНИТАЙ ХАМТРАН 2400 МВТ-ЫН ХҮЧИН ЧАДАЛТАЙ САЛХИН ЦАХИЛГААН СТАНЦ БАРИХААР БОЛОВ WWW.EAGLE.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/04/30     ОРОСЫН МОНГОЛ УЛС ДАХЬ ТОМООХОН ТӨСЛҮҮД ДЭЭР “ГАР БАРИХ” СОНИРХОЛ БА АМБИЦ WWW.EGUUR.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/04/30     МОНГОЛ, АНУ-ЫН ХООРОНД ТАВДУГААР САРЫН 1-НЭЭС НИСЛЭГ ҮЙЛДЭНЭ WWW.MONTSAME.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/04/29     ЕРӨНХИЙ САЙД Л.ОЮУН-ЭРДЭНЭ ЭГИЙН ГОЛЫН УЦС-ЫН ТӨСЛИЙН ТАЛБАЙД АЖИЛЛАЖ БАЙНА WWW.MONTSAME.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/04/29     Ц.ТОД-ЭРДЭНЭ: БИЧИГТ БООМТЫН ЕРӨНХИЙ ТӨЛӨВЛӨГӨӨ БАТЛАГДВАЛ БУСАД БҮТЭЭН БАЙГУУЛАЛТЫН АЖЛУУД ЭХЛЭХ БОЛОМЖ БҮРДЭНЭ WWW.MONTSAME.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/04/29     MCS-ИЙН ХОЁР ДАХЬ “УХАА ХУДАГ”: БНХАУ, АВСТРАЛИТАЙ ХАМТРАН ЭЗЭМШДЭГ БАРУУН НАРАНГИЙН ХАЙГУУЛЫГ УЛСЫН ТӨСВӨӨР ХИЙЖЭЭ WWW.EGUUR.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/04/29     АМ.ДОЛЛАРЫН ХАНШ ТОГТВОРЖИЖ 3595 ТӨГРӨГ БАЙНА WWW.EGUUR.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/04/29    

Events

Name organizer Where
MBCC “Doing Business with Mongolia seminar and Christmas Receptiom” Dec 10. 2024 London UK MBCCI London UK Goodman LLC

NEWS

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China says it has no plans to oust US dollar with digital yuan www.rt.com

International use of the digital yuan will not replace the US dollar as the world’s main reserve currency, according to People’s Bank of China Deputy Governor, Li Bo.
“For the internationalization of the renminbi, we have said many times that it’s a natural process, and our goal is not to replace the US dollar or other international currencies. I think our goal is to allow the market to choose, to facilitate international trade and investment,” the head of the central bank said on a panel at the Boao forum on Sunday.
He added that the latest efforts to create a blockchain-enabled, digital version of China’s national currency were aimed at domestic use.
“The motivation for the e-yuan, for now at least, is focusing primarily on domestic use,” Li said, adding that global “interoperability is a very complex issue, and we are not in a hurry to reach any particular solution yet.”
The e-yuan is currently in a limited test phase in various pilot programs across the country, and the authorities hope to have a sovereign digital currency ready in time for the 2022 Winter Olympics. China is the first nation in the world to test digital currency on a national level.
Last week, US government officials reportedly raised concerns about China’s progress toward the virtual yuan, due to its potential to challenge the dominance of the US dollar as the world’s reserve currency. The White House is also worried that the new currency might be used to dodge US sanctions.
Former People’s Bank of China Governor Zhou Xiaochuan confirmed that initial plans for a digital currency weren’t motivated by the idea of cross-border use, as it could affect monetary policy independence.
For more stories on economy & finance visit RT's business section
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Rio Tinto copper chief quizzed on payments to Mongolian citizens www.ft.com

The head of Rio Tinto’s copper business faced tough questions from politicians in Mongolia after he arrived in the country for discussions over the future of the miner’s most important project.
During a five-hour meeting in Ulaanbaatar last week Bold Baatar, a Mongolian national who joined Rio in 2013 and was appointed to the role in December, was asked by members of parliament on a working group to explain payments Rio made to a number citizens over the past decade.
One of the individuals mentioned was Byambasaikhan Bayanjargal, a businessman who, in the capacity of a government official, cosigned the May 2015 financing agreement for the $6.75bn underground expansion of the Oyu Tolgoi copper mine in the Gobi Desert — an unpopular deal the government wants to replace.
Byambasaikhan is currently in jail. Along with three other men, he was found guilty last year by a Mongolian district court of abuse of power for signing the agreement without seeking parliamentary ratification. He has always protested his innocence and has appealed against the conviction.
Known as the Underground Mine Development Plan, or UDP, the agreement paved the way for a restart of the Oyu Tolgoi expansion project following a dispute over taxes and construction costs.
The agreement and $4.4bn of project financing were pulled together by Rio’s former chief executive Jean-Sébastien Jacques and the nation’s then-prime minister Chimediin Saikhanbileg, who also faces abuse of power charges.
However, it was never ratified by Mongolia’s parliament and has become a focal point for critics who say the country should receive a bigger share of the financial benefits from the project. A parliamentary resolution was passed in December 2019 ordering the government to improve the terms of the UDP.
A person familiar with the matter said Byambasaikhan received fees as chair of a country panel Rio set up in 2011 to gather independent expert insights.
The person said Byambasaikhan resigned from the panel in February 2015 when he became the head of Mongolia’s state-owned mining group. He then joined the board of Oyu Tolgoi in August. As a director of Oyu Tolgoi he was directly remunerated by the company.
Rio has explained this to Mongolia’s anti-corruption authority, the person added.
The future of the UDP is one of several issues the Rio negotiating team, which arrived in Mongolia last month, must address before a decision is made on whether to start complex caving operations at the project later this year.
The government of Mongolia has a 34 per cent stake in Oyu Tolgoi and has said it might need to review whether the project should go ahead.
Rio declined to comment on the meeting but said “listening, engaging and resolving the concerns of the government of Mongolia” were critical steps to “maintaining momentum on the timely delivery” of the project. First production is scheduled for October 2022.
The talks between Rio, MPs and government officials are complicated by the fact that they come ahead of presidential elections in June.
At peak production, Oyu Tolgoi would be the fourth-biggest copper mine in the world, producing more than 400,000 tonnes a year from its existing open pit and underground mine.
It accounts for 70 to 80 per cent of Mongolia’s foreign direct investment, and has created thousands of well-paid jobs.
However, the underground expansion has been dogged by problems and is more than $1bn over budget and over a year behind schedule.
Rio has already told the Mongolian government it is prepared to “explore” a reduction of its project management fees and loan interest rates and has acknowledged the government’s wish to improve the terms of the UDP.
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Steppe fire in eastern Mongolia completely extinguished www.xinhuanet.com

April 19 (Xinhua) -- A steppe fire in eastern Mongolian province of Sukhbaatar was completely extinguished early Monday morning, according to the provincial emergency management department.
The fire started in Dariganga soum (administrative subdivision) of the province before noon on Sunday, and spread to the territory of neighboring Erdenetsagaan soum which borders Xilingol League, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
Hundreds of people, including firefighters, local residents and soldiers, fought to contain the fire.
Officials are now working to determine the cause of the fire and the extent of the damage, said the department. Enditem
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Mongolia confirmed 889 new cases of COVID-19 www.akipress.com

Mongolia confirmed 889 new cases of COVID-19 after 12,384 PCR tests done yesterday, the Ministry of Health said on April 19.
767 of the new cases were registered in Ulaanbaatar, the rest were confirmed in the regions.
The total number of the coronavirus cases has reached 22,884.
A total of 12,401 patients recovered, with 524 in the last 24 hours.
5 new deaths (34, 57, and 61-year-old men and 75, 55-year-old women) occurred during the day.
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China's economy grows by a record 18.3% in the first quarter www.cnn.com

Hong Kong (CNN Business)China just posted its strongest quarterly growth on record as the world's second largest economy continued its robust recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.
GDP growth of 18.3% year-on-year in the first quarter was the strongest since China began keeping records in 1992, and was driven by a surge in retail sales, industrial production and investment in fixed assets.
The big jump reflects the deep slump in activity in early 2020 but it keeps China on track for growth of between 8% and 9% in 2021, economists said, far ahead of the Chinese government's official target of more than 6%.
"We are fully confident that we can maintain the current recovery momentum throughout the year," said Liu Aihua, a spokeswoman for the National Bureau of Statistics at a press conference in Beijing on Friday.
First quarter retail sales jumped 34% from a year ago, while fixed-asset investment in urban areas gained nearly 26%. Industrial production increased by more than 24%.
"Growth remains pretty strong at this stage as Covid losers such as consumption and [capital expenditures] are catching up," said Larry Hu, chief China economist for Macquarie Group, in a research report on Friday.
Retail sales, which took a big hit last year because of the lockdown, had improved because Beijing eased travel restrictions after the Lunar New Year holidays in February, he added. Investments in manufacturing and infrastructure also picked up pace.
Trade also provided a strong boost. Customs statistics released earlier this week showed imports jumped more than 38% last month in US dollar terms compared to a year earlier, a sign that demand within China is picking up. Exports grew by nearly 31%.
Hu said the strength in imports was broad based, indicating a "consumption recovery." And Beijing should easily hit its target of more than 6% growth for 2021. "Growth could easily go to 8-9% with the low base," Hu added.
Nomura analysts predicted Friday that China's GDP would grow 8.9% in 2021.
Last month, Premier Li Keqiang said the government had set this year's growth target at "above 6%." That's more than enough to accomplish President Xi Jinping's long-term goal for the economy, though still less aggressive than some observers have said they would like to see. Some analysts have said the cautious target indicates that the government is taking account of the risk that Covid-19 makes a comeback.
Earlier this month, the International Monetary Fund raised its growth estimate for China to 8.4% for this year, saying that "effective containment measures, a forceful public investment response and central bank liquidity support" had facilitated the country's recovery.
Recovery 'leveling off'
But some analysts say the outlook for the rest of this year is less certain.
Chaoping Zhu, global market strategist for JP Morgan Asset Management, said quarter-over-quarter growth is a better indicator of the current strength of the Chinese economy.
GDP grew by just 0.6% compared with the final quarter of 2020. That's the slowest pace since China began its recovery from the pandemic. In the first quarter of last year, the economy shrank a record 9.7% from the previous quarter, before bouncing back as the government eased restrictions. From the second to fourth quarters of 2020, the economy grew by 11.6%, 3%, and 2.6% respectively, quarter on quarter.
"It shows that the Chinese economy has already normalized," Zhu wrote in a note on Friday.
Julian Evans-Pritchard, senior China economist for Capital Economics, also pointed out that the 18.3% surge is largely distorted by low base effects.
"This tells us little about the economy's current momentum, however, since it reflects a much weaker base for comparison from last year's Covid-19 downturn," he said. "With the economy already above its pre-virus trend and policy support being withdrawn, China's post-Covid rebound is leveling off."
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Iron ore price hits 10-year high on rising steel demand www.mining.com

Iron ore prices continued to climb on Friday despite concerns over environmental restrictions in China.
Tangshan, China’s top steelmaking city, said last month it will punish firms that either have not taken the steps spelled out under its emergency anti-pollution plan or have illegally discharged pollutants, following weeks of heavy smog in northern China.
SIGN UP FOR THE IRON ORE DIGEST
According to Fastmarkets MB, Benchmark 62% Fe fines imported into Northern China (CFR Qingdao) were changing hands for $178.43 a tonne on Friday – the highest level since 2011.
The high-grade Brazilian index (65% Fe fines) also advanced to a record high of $211.10 a tonne.
“Steel margins in China are very attractive at the moment, so even with the restrictions in Tangshan, other producers have every incentive to try to increase operating rates,” ING head of commodities strategy Warren Patterson told the Financial Review.
“Stronger margins, along with more focus on reducing emissions, has also proved supportive for higher-grade iron ore demand. This is reflected in the quality premium, which has widened recently,” Patterson said.
“Despite talk of nationwide inspections, we believe other regions will ramp up, particularly given the spike in steel margins,” JPMorgan analyst Lyndon Fagan said.
According to IndexBox, global steel consumption is forecast to increase in 2021 by 4.1% year-on-year.
Prices have also been fueled by falling supplies from major miners.
Goldman Sachs expects the market to enter a surplus in the second half of the year on higher Brazilian exports, bank analysts wrote in a note, adding they see prices falling back to $110 a tonne by the fourth quarter and below $100 in 2022.
(With files from Bloomberg and Reuters)
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Mongolia’s coal exports soar by 114 percent on year www.news.mn

Over January-March, Mongolia’s total coal exports surged 113.7% on year to 6.7 million tonnes, among which 93.5% were to China, and the second largest destination was Singapore, which accounted for 5.8% of the total, according to Mongolia’s Customs data on April 12.
China has always been the top destination of Mongolian coal exports, while Singapore’s portion grewfrom the 3.7% for 2020 and the 0.9% for 2019 whole year, according to the data.
China accounted for 92.5 percent of Mongolia’s total exports and 39.1 percent of its total imports in the January-March period, said the office in a statement.
Meanwhile, Mongolia’s total trade with 121 foreign economies reached 3.5 billion U.S. dollars.
Mongolia is a landlocked country with rich natural resources, among which mineral fuels, ores and livestock are the main export commodities.
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Mongolia sees new record high of daily COVID-19 cases www.xinhuanet.com

April 18 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia reported 1,340 COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, a new record high of daily cases, bringing the national tally to 21,995, the country's National Center for Communicable Diseases (NCCD) said Sunday.
A previous record of 1,220 cases was set on Wednesday.
One of the latest confirmed cases was imported from abroad, and the remaining ones were locally transmitted, the NCCD said in a statement.
Meanwhile, three more deaths and 427 more recoveries were reported, taking the nationwide counts to 50 and 11,877 respectively, it added.
Mongolia's COVID-19 surge continues, and around or more than 1,000 cases have been reported daily in the country in recent days, mostly in the capital Ulan Bator, which is home to over half of the country's population of 3.3 million.
A full nationwide lockdown, aimed at curbing the steep surge in local COVID-19 cases, took effect last Saturday and will last until April 25.
The Asian country reported its first imported COVID-19 case in March 2020 and confirmed its first locally transmitted cases in November. Enditem
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China donates fodder to Mongolian region hit by blizzards, sandstorms www.xinhuanet.com

Trucks loaded with fodder, donated by China as disaster relief to southern Mongolia's Omnogovi Province following blizzards and sandstorms, have left the Chinese border city of Bayannur, in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous region.
According to the city authority, all 150 tonnes of donated fodder has passed through the border port between Bayannur and the neighboring Mongolian province across the border.
He Lei, director of the municipal foreign affairs office, said that the Mongolian province has suffered from several rounds of blizzards and sandstorms since the winter, resulting in a severe shortage of forage for livestock in the area. It requested assistance in the form of forage from the city of Bayannur.
This year marks the 15th anniversary of the establishment of sister relations between Bayannur and Omnogovi Province. The donation of disaster relief carried China's good wishes, supporting Mongolia in fighting the COVID-19 epidemic and coping with disasters, said He. Enditem
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U.S. Senate adopts Resolution Reaffirming Mongolia-U.S. Strategic Partnership www.montsame.mn

The Resolution Reaffirming the strategic partnership between the United States and Mongolia and recognizing the 30th anniversary of democracy in Mongolia was agreed to at the 117th Congress of the Senate of the United States of America, convened April 15th, 2021.
Following the official talks between President of Mongolia Khaltmaagiin Battulga and then-President of the United States of America Donald Trump, during President Battulga’s visit to the U.S. in July 2019, a Declaration on the Strategic Partnership between the United States of America and Mongolia was released.
The U.S. Senate adopted the Resolution Reaffirming the strategic partnership between the United States and Mongolia and recognizing the 30th anniversary of democracy in Mongolia, in recognition of the continued validity of the above-mentioned joint declaration.
Together with the Draft Resolution agreed to by the House of Representatives of the U.S. Congress in December 2020, the Resolution Reaffirming the strategic partnership between the United States and Mongolia and recognizing the 30th anniversary of democracy in Mongolia will be an important impetus to the backing of Mongolia Third Neighbor Trade Act by the U.S. Congress.
Source: president.mn
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