U.S.-Mongolia Consultations Advance Bilateral Relations www.state.gov

On Friday, April 26, 2019, representatives of the United States and Mongolia met for the 13th Annual Bilateral Consultations at the Department of State in Washington, DC. This year’s consultations were the first held under the auspices of the U.S.-Mongolia Expanded Comprehensive Partnership, announced during Mongolian Prime Minister Khurelsukh’s official visit to Washington in September 2018.

Russia & China set up yuan-denominated fund for joint investments www.rt.com

The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) has launched a regional fund worth 6-7 billion yuan (around $1 billion) with its Chinese partners.
The fund will mainly focus on investing in strategically-important projects in Russia and China in equal proportion, according to RDIF, which announced the fund’s establishment at the Belt and Road forum in Beijing.

Baritone Ch.Badral wins Grand Prix at international singing competition www.montsame.mn

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ National opera singer Ch.Badral won Grand Prix at the first International Opera Singers’ Competition which took place on April 19-23 in Yakutsk, Russia.

Can China's plane-maker take on Boeing and Airbus? www.bbc.com

For the past decade China, soon to become the world's largest aviation market, has been developing its own planes as it seeks to loosen Western manufacturers' grip on the sector.

The planes made by Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China - or Comac - have drawn plenty of criticism.

Few in the industry believe Chinese-made jets will rival those of Boeing and Airbus in the near-term.

But analysts say that over time, state-backed Comac - part of China's wider push into high-tech manufacturing - could challenge the established players.

"Do not underestimate Chinese ability to penetrate markets," says Shukor Yusof, founder of aviation advisory firm Endau Analytics.

He says the landscape is likely to shift from a European-US manufacturing duopoly to accommodate a third party - "and that's probably the Chinese".

What aircraft has Comac built?
So far it has built two jets - the ARJ21 and the C919 - and is working with Russia on a third.

Only the 90-seat, ARJ21 jet is in service. However, after suffering from delays, and being plagued with noise and other problems, the aircraft has been roundly rejected as inferior to planes from competitors such as Brazil's Embraer and Canada's Bombardier.

He says that while the aircraft was touted as proof China would be the next big jet maker, it turned into an "overweight and stunningly obsolete product that has no relevance outside of China's tiny regional airline sector".

A Chenghu Airlines ARJ21 jet
Comac has bigger ambitions for the C919. Seating up to 168 people, China's first large passenger jet is designed to compete with Boeing's 737 Max and Airbus's A320neo.

Its third test flight was completed in December and first deliveries are scheduled for 2021.

Comac did not respond to BBC requests for comment. But data from consultancy Frost & Sullivan shows the firm has received nearly 1,000 commitments for the C919, mostly from Chinese airlines and domestic leasing firms. The order book includes the country's three major carriers Air China, China Southern and China Eastern.

Still, some remain sceptical that Comac will hit its 2021 target given the problems that surrounded its first plane. Teal Group's Mr Aboulafia says there is a "serious risk" that by the time the C919 enters service Airbus and Boeing will have far better models on offer.

China's first passenger plane takes off
Airbus secures huge jet order from China
In partnership with Russia, Comac is also developing the CR929, a wide-body aircraft with a range of 12,000km that seats 280 passengers.

Where can Comac jets fly?
Right now, only China's aviation regulator has certified Comac jets to fly. Its aircraft may also operate in parts of Asia, Africa and South America that recognise Chinese certification.

However, to expand beyond those markets it needs the green light from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). Those approvals are far from certain.

"There is still a big question mark over whether it will receive a Western certification," Flight Global's Asia finance editor Ellis Taylor says.

He says Comac had hoped the ARJ21 would get FAA certification "but that has been shelved indefinitely".

Can it survive without the US and Europe?
Even if those doors remain shut, Comac has access to a huge and growing market. By the mid-2020's, China's aviation market is expected to overtake the US as the world's largest by traffic.

It's a major buyer of Western planes, but the crisis facing Boeing could generate more interest in locally-made alternatives.

The country operates the largest fleet of Boeing 737 Max aircraft and was the first to ground the troubled jet after the deadly Ethiopian Airlines 737 Max crash in March. The same model was involved in a Lion Air crash that killed 189 people less than five months earlier.

Frost & Sullivan aerospace consultant Ramesh Tanjavuru says, provided Comac secures certification, Boeing's troubles could fuel the growth of the C919 in China and abroad.

"They could definitely fill the gap and be a significant player in China's market."

Where else is Comac targeting?
Comac also has its sights set on emerging markets in parts of Africa and Asia. Its planes are more affordable, with the C919's list price of reportedly about $50m (£38.8m) roughly half the price of the Airbus A320neo.

But the push into these regions also supports Beijing's broader foreign policy goals.

China, through its Belt and Road initiative, is pouring as much as $1 trillion into infrastructure projects around the world. Endau Analytics' Mr Yusof says China's entry into plane manufacturing is part of this drive.

Italy joins China's New Silk Road project
What is Made in China 2025?
He says some countries in Africa have received loans to build airports that are designed to meet the requirements of the ARJ21. Aiding poorer countries with infrastructure development, Mr Yusof says, is another way of building Comac's customer base.

"We can't just underestimate the Chinese ability to go into markets and carve a niche where Airbus and Boeing aren't interested [such as] Africa or central Asia."

China's iron and steel association warns on over-capacity, shrinking profits www.mining.com

China's Iron and Steel Association said on Sunday the industry faces ongoing risks from excess capacity, as well as sluggish demand and increased raw material costs that could squeeze profits.

China and Mongolia sign major infrastructure deal www.news.mn

China and Mongolia have signed a cooperation plan on promoting the alignment of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) with Mongolia’s Development Road Programme. The signing ceremony took place in Beijing on Thursday 25 April.

Beijing defends Huawei amid row over role in UK's 5G network www.bbc.com

The UK should make "independent" decisions about whether to let Huawei help build its 5G network, according to China's ambassador in London.

Putin vows to connect Russia’s Northern Sea Route with China’s Maritime Silk Road www.rt.com

A global shipping lane could connect East Asia and Europe if China’s Maritime Silk Road joins Russia’s Northern Sea Route, Vladimir Putin told world leaders as they gathered for a Belt and Road meeting in Beijing.
Russia is doing its utmost to invest in its Northern Sea Route, a major maritime lane spanning between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, but much more could be done in the future, Putin said. “We are considering connecting it with the Chinese Maritime Silk Road,” the president explained.

UN expert to visit Mongolia to assess situation of human rights defenders www.ohchr.org

GENEVA (26 April 2019) – The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Michel Forst, will undertake his first official visit to Mongolia from 30 April to 13 May 2019.

"As the Government of Mongolia is considering a draft law to protect human rights defenders, my visit is particularly timely," said the UN expert. "I look forward to fruitful discussions with executive representatives, as well as officials from the legislative and judicial branches.

"I will also meet with human rights defenders to understand the situation they face in Mongolia and to explore how my mandate can better support their work." 
Highlighting the recently adopted Human Rights Council’s resolution which recognises the key role played by human rights defenders in the protection of the environment, the Special Rapporteur said that his visit would also allow him to look into the specific situation of environmental human rights defenders.

"During my visit, I intend to analyse how the government of Mongolia is ensuring that people and communities can safely promote and defend human rights and the environment," said Forst. "This seems particularly important in a country where the population has historically always lived in harmony with nature, but is now facing rapid industrial growth, urbanisation, mining and other extractive activities that impact on their rights."

During his two-week visit, at the invitation of the Government, the human rights expert will meet Government officials, human rights defenders and representatives of civil society, and the business sector, in Ulaanbaatar areas and Dornogovi aimag.

Forst will present his preliminary observations on the visit at a press conference on Monday 13 May 2019, at 11 am local time, in the UN Auditorium, UN House, UN Street-14, Sukhbaatar District, Ulaanbaatar. Access will be strictly limited to journalists.

The Special Rapporteur will present a comprehensive report of this visit to the UN Human Rights Council in March 2020.

ENDS

Mr. Michel Forst (France) was appointed by the Human Rights Council as the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders in 2014. Mr. Forst has extensive experience of human rights issues and specifically of the situation of human rights defenders. He was the Director General of Amnesty International (France) and Secretary General of the first World Summit on Human Rights Defenders in 1998. He is a former UN Independent Expert on the human rights situation in Haiti.

The Special Rapporteurs are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures’ experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity.

UN Human Rights, Country Page: Mongolia

The Special Rapporteur is mandated to conduct official visits to States on their invitation. These visits provide an opportunity to examine in detail the role and situation of human rights defenders in the country, to identify particular problems and to make recommendations on how these could be resolved. By the nature of the mandate, the Special Rapporteur is required to look critically at the situation of human rights defenders in a country. Nevertheless, the process is intended to provide an independent and impartial assessment which will be of use to all actors in strengthening both the contribution of defenders to human rights and their protection.

Issues raised during such visits include: violations committed against human rights defenders; challenges to the "environment" within which defenders conduct their human rights work, including freedoms of association and expression, access to funding and the support to defenders provided by domestic legislation; and efforts undertaken by the authorities to protect human rights defenders from violations.

A few months after each visit, the Special Rapporteur issues a report on the visit indicating, among other things, main concerns and recommendations for action. The report is then formally presented by the Special Rapporteur at the Human Rights Council.

For additional information, please contact: Thibaut Guillet (+41 22 917 9158 / +41 22 79 752 0486 / tguillet@ohchr.org)

For media inquiries related to other UN independent experts: Jeremy Laurence (+ 41 22 917 9383 / jlaurence@ohchr.org)

Cooperation agreements signed between Mongolian and Chinese companies www.montsame.mn

Beijing /MONTSAME/ Within the framework of the President’s state visit to the People’s Republic of China, private entities of Mongolia and China signed following agreements.