Trade war: What you need to know about US-China talks www.bbc.com

The US and China are due to begin a fresh round of talks in Beijing on Tuesday as they edge closer to resolving their damaging trade dispute.

The discussions will be led by US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He.

Talks have dragged on for months, with both sides struggling to agree on key issues.

The trade war has hurt the economy and challenged the multilateral system that has governed world trade for decades.

There has been cautious optimism surrounding the talks in recent months but also a sense that both sides remain divided on some points.

The US, which accuses China of unfair trading practices, imposed tariffs on $250bn (£193.2bn) worth of Chinese products last year.

Beijing has retaliated with duties on $110bn worth of American products.

Tariffs on $200bn worth of Chinese goods were due to more than double at the start of the year, rising from 10% to 25%.

But both countries agreed to suspend tit-for-tat tariffs after they struck a truce in December, and began negotiations to work towards a deal.

US President Donald Trump recently said the US and China had agreed on "a lot of the most difficult points" but that "we have some ways to go".

What are the sticking points?
Sticking points in negotiations in recent months have included how a deal would be enforced, issues around intellectual property protection, and how fast to roll back tariffs.

Gary Hufbauer from the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington said enforcement was a crucial issue, but remained optimistic about the prospect of a deal.

"China will make lots of promises, the US remains sceptical on implementation," he said.

Still, he expects a deal to be announced by mid-May. The latest round of talks are expected to be followed by further negotiations in Washington on 8 May.

The US accuses China of stealing intellectual property and wants Beijing to make changes to its economic policies, which it says unfairly favour domestic companies through subsidies. It also wants China to buy more US goods to rein in a lofty trade deficit.

Mr Xi addressed some of these concerns last week at the Belt and Road forum in Beijing ahead of the trade talks.

He said China would boost efforts to secure intellectual property protection, increase imports of goods and services and ensure a fair trading environment for firms.

But what makes trade negotiations particularly difficult to resolve is the fact they are part of a broader power struggle between the world's two largest economies.

China's growing influence has put many Western governments - and particularly the US on the defensive. Some in China see the trade war as part of US efforts to curb its rise.

Against this backdrop, there is a view that the trade deal will not put an end to a US-China rivalry, which is already playing out in the technology sector.

What's at stake?
The trade war is already having an impact on the world economy.

International Monetary Fund chief economist Gita Gopinath said the escalation of US-China trade tensions was one factor that had contributed to a "significantly weakened global expansion, especially in the second half of 2018." The IMF cut its growth forecast for this year by 0.2% to 3.3%.

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) also said tariffs imposed by the US and China last year had slowed economic growth in the world's two largest economies.

Beyond the tangible economic fallout, some fear the trade war is challenging the multilateral system which has governed global trade for decades, including through the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

"The system is already fragile. An all out trade war, in which both sides break their WTO commitments, will be very damaging," Mr Hufbauer said.

Power line and railway constructions of oil refinery complete www.zgm.mn

The Government of Mongolia has begun the construction of the oil refinery project. Authorities recently confirmed that power lines and railways have been completed. The construction of the road will be ready by September, according to the Ministry of Mining and Heavy Industry (MMHI). The construction of the plant is expected to be halfway complete in the first quarter of next year.

‘Hollywood in Mongolia’: Bryce Nielsen arrives www.news.mn

Famous film makers are gathering in Ulaanbaatar for an international film makers’ festival called ‘Hollywood in Mongolia’. The event will be held in the Mongolian capital from 1-7 May. Earlier today, (29 April) the first visitor of the festival flew into Chinggis Khaan International. Bryce Nielsen is a VFX Producer; he worked on Cloud Atlas, Kingsman, The Golden Circle, Dark Phoenix, Iron Man2 and Dumbo. At a press conference at the Tuushin Hotel, he shared his first experience in Mongolia. Bryce Nielsen said, ‘I am delighted to have been welcomed by people in the traditional consumes of Mongolian queens and knights at the airport. Also, I tasted aaruul – a dairy product of Mongolia and liked it. On the way to city centre, I got caught in traffic jam, (laugh). In near future, I am planning to visit the Gobi Desert and ride a horse.’

The ‘Hu’ to tour Europe www.news.mn

Mongolian rock band ‘Hu’ has been becoming famous internationally as their song ‘Wolf Totem’ reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Hard Rock Digital Song Sales. The band is now preparing to tour Europe. This will begin in Berlin from 6 June and continue until 6 July. Tickets for the concerts will be available from 3 May.

More than half of dams in Mongolia give birth www.xinhuanet.com

ULAN BATOR, April 29 (Xinhua) -- As of April 29, around 16 million dams (female animals) in Mongolia have given birth, an official of the country's Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Light Industry said Monday.

National Consultation on Facilitating Cross-border Paperless Trade: Mongolia www.unescap.org

In moving forward in the area of trade facilitation and paperless trade in Mongolia, legal and technical readiness assessments for cross-border paperless trade and a study on transit trade procedures on selected products have been conducted, under a United Nations ESCAP project entitled “Facilitating Cross-Border Paperless Trade along the Belt Road Initiative (BRI) Corridors for Regional Integration and Sustainable Development” (May 02. 2019 by invitation only). The purpose of the national consultation is to review the preliminary findings from this work, consolidate and validate the results and develop recommendations and an action plan.

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."