Mongolia to change Immigration Law www.news.mn

A public discussion on the draft amendment to the Immigration Law of Mongolia took place at the National Legal Institute on 11 November. The draft amendment is focused on simplifying visa issuance, establishing a visa centre for consolidated information for foreign travellers, extending the visa terms to meet international standards and improving overall visa policy.

Kincora Announces Agreement For New Priority Drilling Porphyry Project www.kincoracopper.com

Mongolia's emerging IT sector leads economy in new direction www.asia.nikkei.com

ULAANBAATAR -- Startups in artificial intelligence, fintech and other sectors are set to transform Mongolia's economy, as they begin turning the capital of Ulaanbaatar into a small but thriving high tech hub.

Mongolia's key industries have traditionally centered around mining, farming and tourism, but severe winters limit activity during the cold season. To keep the economy humming through the frigid months, the country is ramping up efforts to fuel its nascent information technology industry.

With fourth-generation mobile networks well established -- especially 4G LTE -- the IT sector has been taking off and is set to play a more prominent role in the economy.

Helping lead the charge are Mongols returning home to set up companies after studying and working abroad. Finding locals to train and fill tech positions in these new companies can be a challenge, but is made easier by the strong personal relationships that Mongols forge, sometimes stretching back to early childhood.

The reach of this friend-based network could be seen in late July as experts in AI from Facebook, Microsoft and other tech giants gathered in Ulaanbaatar for a deep-learning seminar organized by Dentsu Data Artist Mongol, an AI subsidiary of Tokyo-based advertising agency Dentsu.

One of the speakers at the seminar was Sainbayar Sukhbaatar, who works for Facebook AI Research. He was asked to join the confab by a childhood buddy, Dentus Data's Agchbayar Amarsanaaof, who extended the invitation "because Sainbayar is a friend from elementary school and we both studied at the University of Tokyo."

"I have not a small number of [Mongolian] friends at GAFA," Agchbayar said, referring to Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon by acronym.

About 1.5 million people -- half of Mongolia's population -- live in the capital, which is also home to 90% of the country's universities. Students study at the same school from elementary through high school, where they form bonds that often last a lifetime.

After graduating from the University of Tokyo, Agchbayar joined Data Artist, an AI startup founded by a fellow student. After the Dentsu Group acquired the startup in 2018, Dentsu Data Artist Mongol was established in Ulaanbaatar to develop AI systems.

Due to the lack of qualified personnel in Mongolia, Dentsu Data plans to hold training seminars and choose hires from among the participants, hoping to increase its workforce to 100 from the current 70 by the end of the year.

Though not as advanced as many of its Asian neighbors, communication infrastructure is firmly in place and related markets are starting emerge, one of which could be in data centers thanks to Mongolia's relatively cheap electricity.

Smartphone penetration attests to the country's solid mobile network. At the end of 2018, there were 4.2 million devices in use, or 1.4 smartphones per person, according to the Communications Regulatory Commission of Mongolia.

This makes fertile ground for new types of financial services. Few Mongolians own credit cards, instead relying on pawnshops for short-term loans to cover daily expenses. Local fintech startup And Global senses opportunity with the situation, introducing in 2017 LendMN, a smartphone app that offers unsecured microloans starting from 50,000 tugrik ($19). Loan applications can be approved in just three minutes.

To ensure repayment, the company uses a proprietary AI-based system to assess an applicant's credit rating. It seems to be working, as 98% of borrowers repay on time. The company has since expanded LendMN overseas to the Philippines and Mexico.

Chief Investment Officer Khos-Erdene Baatarkhuu said the company's tech prowess is on par with peers in advanced economies "at just a fraction of their labor cost." Management includes people educated overseas who returned home to dive into the growing tech scene.

The country's proficiency in math is another plus. This year, Mongolia ranked 26th in the International Mathematical Olympiad, just behind France and Canada, and up from 50th place in 2010.

The government is fully behind the blossoming IT industry. In 2018, it launched the Hub Innovation Center, the nation's first facility that directly supports startups. It is also not hindering the industry with undue regulation, which essentially allows companies to use the country as a test bed before expanding overseas.

Bat-Erdene Baldangombo, head of the innovation center, said Mongolia's current industrial foundation is unsustainable, noting that the mainstay industries of coal and copper mining are vulnerable to market fluctuations. Coal mining, in particular, faces headwinds from tighter global environmental regulations. His answer is for the government to promote diversification into high technology.

The center rents space to entrepreneurs like Ochirbat Boldbaatarr, founder of a ride-sharing startup that he founded after stints at a German university and U.S. company. The breakneck speed of Mongolia's development prompted him to return home. "I thought I wouldn't be able to catch up because the pace of Mongolia's development is so fast," he said.

As the economy upscales, the government wants to do its part to educate tent dwellers and nomads outside the capital. According to Bat-Erdene, plans are underway to set up support facilities in the countryside to help rural areas with the transition.

Still, some entrepreneurs are worried about the country's habit of mixing politics with business. One noted that bribery is a way of life in the country. "When there is competitive bidding, you are never sure of fairness in the screening process," the person said.

And despite the Hub Innovation Center, another complained that government support for startups "hasn't even reached the starting line."

Mongolia-initiated resolution on cooperatives approved www.montsame.mn

On November 7, the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) of the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly approved draft resolution titled ‘Cooperatives in social development’, initiated by Mongolia, without a vote.

New ADB Country Director for Mongolia Assumes Office www.adb.org

ULAANBAATAR, MONGOLIA (11 November 2019) — The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has appointed Mr. Pavit Ramachandran as its new Country Director for Mongolia. As the head of the country office, he will work as the primary operational link for activities between ADB and the government, the private sector, civil society stakeholders, and development partners.

Invest in Mongolia forum takes place in Shanghai www.montsame.mn

Shanghai /MONTSAME/ With the aims to promote Mongolia’s business, trade and investment opportunities to foreign countries, ‘Invest in Mongolia’ Forum took place in Shanghai, China. The forum is organized on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic ties between Mongolia and China and the China International Import Expo, which is running in Shanghai, China.

Alibaba sees strong sales as Singles' Day closes in on record www.bbc.com

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba's Singles' Day shopping frenzy is set to break records in its 11th year.

British Steel agrees £70m rescue with Chinese firm www.bbc.com

British Steel is set to announce a rescue deal with China's Jingye Group, which could safeguard up to 4,000 jobs in the UK.

Jingye Group has agreed in principle to buy British Steel for £70m.

It is understood that the government will help in the form of loan guarantees and other financial support.

British Steel has been kept running by the government since May when the company went into liquidation.

As well as employing 4,000 people at its Scunthorpe and Teesside sites, British Steel supports an additional 20,000 jobs in the supply chain.

It is believed that while Jingye Group has promised to increase production, it has also warned costs may need to be cut.

The Chinese group is reportedly aiming to increase production at Scunthorpe from 2.5 million tonnes per year to more than three million.

Since May, the company has been run at a loss by the Official Receiver - effectively a privately hired government agency.

British Steel's previous owners, Greybull Capital, walked away saying Brexit concerns had decimated forward order books.

Turkish deal
British Steel had been in rescue talks with Ataer, which is a subsidiary of Turkey's state military retirement scheme Oyak.

Ataer had signed a preliminary agreement to buy the company in August.

However, hopes that the deal could be completed faded last month when the Official Receiver to British Steel said the parties had failed to agree terms.

The UK industry has been struggling for a number of years amid claims that China has been flooding the market with cheap steel.

It prompted US President Donald Trump to impose a 25% trade tariff on steel imports from China and the EU among others.

Jingye has 23,500 employees and as well as its main steel and iron making businesses, it is also involved in hotels, tourism and property.

The majority of British Steel's workers are employed at its Scunthorpe plant.

Jingye's chairman Li Ganpo recently visited British Steel's sites and met with Scunthorpe MP Nic Dakin and Andrew Percy, representative for the Brigg and Goole constituency.

Mr Percy told the Grimsby Telegraph he had been given assurances over the company's future.

"They have assured us that if they do progress with this acquisition, they have every intention of investing to expand production to serve the UK and European market," he said.

Media captionBritish Steel is Scunthorpe's biggest employer
Who is Jingye Group?
China's Jingye Group specializes in iron and steel but also engages in tourism, hotels and real estate.

It has 23,500 employees and total registered assets of 39bn yuan ($5.6bn; £4.4bn). According to its website, Jingye Group ranked 217th among the top 500 enterprises in China in 2019.

The firm sells its products nationwide and exports them to more than 80 countries and regions.

Jingye's products have been used in major projects such as Beijing Daxing International Airport and the underground system in Shijiazhuang.

Karin Hulshof: Need to stop burning coal indoors is URGENT www.zgm.mn

A Science and policy dialogue on combat-ing urban air pollution impacts on maternal and child health in Asia took place in Ulaanbaatar at the start of the so called “smoke season”. This is when the amount of pollutants in Ulaanbaatar’s air reaches it annual peak. ZGM Daily had the chance to sit down with Ms.Karin Hulshof, UNICEF Rуgional Director for East Asia and the Pacific to discuss out-comes of the dialogue and ways Mongolia can utilise to better its air quality.

-Моngolia has made some pro-gress in reducing air pollution, fol-lowing the government’s decision to ban raw coal this year. What’s your verdict on the government’s policies on air pollution reduction?

-In terms of reducing PM2.5 levels, I think we need a few more months data. So far the winter has been mild. We should also keep in mind that even if it would result in a 50% improvement, it would still leave us with very toxic levels of pollution affecting our health. To provide clean air to its citizens, the government has to rapidly and com­pletely phase out the burning of any type of coal and other solid fuels in residential areas. I like to quote the UN Secretary General Antonio Gu-terres who said that Asia’s “coal addiction” should end. This will require expanding district heating and strengthening the electric grid, much better insulation, and proper pricing of energy. Especially insu­lation of people’s homes has been neglected far too long. I really hope the government will come up with a very ambitious plan and deliver the result within the next 5 years.

-Although we have witnessed reduction in presence of partic-ulate matters in the air, the fact that the amount of NO2, SO2 and CO is increasing is not receiving the attention it deserves. A 2005 study conducted in India, New Delhi had proven that NO2, among the other six types of air pollut-ants identified by the WHO is the most harmful to human health. Yet, the amount of this pollutant in Ulaanbaatar has been kept at 2-3 times higher levels than previous years. You have served as UNICEF representative in India. What can Mongolia learn from the policies India implemented in terms of re-ducing NO2, SO2 and CO?

-The main sources of air pollution in India are different from Mongolia. In India, it is a combination of indus­try, traffic, burning of urban and ag­ricultural waste, and the use of solid fuels for cooking. In Mongolia, the air pollution is by far dominated by the burning of coal for heating. As a re­sult, PM2.5 is clearly the most harm­ful pollutant in the context of Mon­golia. I am however very concerned about the high number of carbon monoxide poisoning associated with the use of the refined coal (enhanced coal briquettes). This is particularly dangerous to pregnant women because it can deplete the fetus from oxygen which can affect the development of the fetus in many ways and can increase the risk of a miscarriage. It again highlights the urgency to stop burning coal indoors. We have to imagine the im­pact of air pollutions on every child.

-A Science and policy dialogue on combating urban air pollution impacts on maternal and child health in Asia recently conclud-ed successfully in Ulaanbaatar. What’s your take on the results of the forum?

-This dialogue brought together some of the world’s top scientists and policy makers from Mongolia and from across the region and the world. We learned that there is in-creasing evidence that air pollution affects fertility. On the positive side, there is also evidence that air purifiers, when correctly used, can contribute to better birth outcomes. Policymakers brought solutions and knowledge from their countries and discussed potential collaborations at the regional level. It was clear that the health sector needs to get much stronger involved. Mongolia shared with other countries what the health sector can do in terms of awareness raising and strength­ening health services for vulnera­ble children. The Ministry of Health with the support from the Ministry of Finance is providing pneumonia vaccines to children which makes them less sensitive to air pollution. Also, UNICEF and the Ministry of Health are rolling out a training programme on air pollution and maternal and child health, to fur-ther educate health practitioners.

-Child health depends on adults. Could you give examples of good experience from the workshops or seminars for adults to help raise their children healthy?

-Indeed, parents play a critical role in a child’s health and devel­opment. Parents should play with their children, read books with them and make sure they get healthy di­ets and their vaccinations on time. Мany governments and companies have already started to adopt family-friendly policies and proce-dures including paid maternal and parental leave, paid sick-leave, breastfeeding breaks, quality childcare and child benefits. Now we need commitment to implemen­tation. Family­friendly policies are not just the right thing to do, but also the smart and equitable thing to do for the economy and the society.

-What other things have you achieved other than attending the forum during your visit in Mongolia? How many high-lev-el meetings have you attended? Can we expect positive outcomes regarding child labor, children’s and maternal health following your visit?

-In all my conversations I high­lighted that this year the world is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Mongolia has made very good progress. There are more children surviving than ever before, there are more children in school than ever before. There are also unfin­ished business and emerging is­sues to address. I visited Kinder­garten #63 in Bayanzurkh District where UNICEF installed mechanical ventilation and air purification and GIZ improved the insulation of the building, financially supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). This kindergarten is now more energy efficient and has cleaner air inside, protect­ing children from air pollution. The teachers, children and parents were very happy. This should become standard practice in all kindergar­tens and UNICEF will continue to advocate for this. I had the hon­or to meet the Minister of Health Mrs D.Sarangerel. I truly appreciate her leadership and commitment to advance the air pollution related agenda in her capacity of Member of the Parliament. I also had the opportunity to facilitate a produc­tive meeting between UNICEF and the Governments of Mongolia and China to explore possible South­South Cooperation. We discussed potential concrete opportunities to collaborate in the field of air pollu­tion and maternal and child health, such as knowledge exchange, joint research and technology exchange. I also had a very good meeting with the Minister of Education Mr. Yo Baatarbileg. We agreed on the need to invest more in improving the quality of learning, improving water, sanitation and hygiene in kindergar­tens and schools, and addressing climate change. With support from our partners such as ChildFund Korea and KOICA, UNICEF will provide technical assistance on those issues and I expect good results moving forward.

By: Aminaa

Five Mongolian Ambassadors: Parliament approves finally! www.news.mn

In 8 November, parliament approved the nominations for five Mongolian ambassadors including the representative to the United Nations. The appointment of the ambassadors to some countries has been postponed for over a year.