The Gants Mod crossing (China) and the GashuunSukhait crossing (Mongolia) is a major border crossing between China and Mongolia, used by some of Mongolia's biggest mines, including Erdenes Tavantolgoi, Tavantolgoi and Energy Resources.

On 22 November, the authorities in charge of Gants Mod crossing in Inner Mongolia, China have imposed new fees on commodity shipments between the two countries..

Under the newly-imposed fees, a transit fee of 10 yuan ($1.45) will be charged on vehicles each time they pass through the border, and an additional charge of 8 yuan per tonne will be imposed on any goods that they are delivering.

For precious metals and copper concentrate worth more than 10,000 yuan per tonne, exporters will be charged 0.2 percent of the total value of the cargo, the notice said, adding that the new charges would come into effect on 1 December. Although this is only one border crossing, as it is a major crossing these fees could cost the coal industry up to as much as 12.2 million USD [per annum].

Reuters said that local government officials contacted by Reuters on Thursday could not confirm the veracity of the announcement, but a senior industry representative in Ulaanbaatar who is familiar with the matter said the new charges were now in effect.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang did not confirm whether or not the new border fees were connected to the Dalai Lama's visit, saying that he was unaware of the situation.

Published Date:2016-12-02