Mongolia eager to enhance ties with EU to diversify economy www.xinhuanet.com

ULAN BATOR, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia is keen on enhancing relations and cooperation with the European Union (EU) to diversify its mining-dependent economy, Mongolia's Parliament Speaker Miyegombo Enkhbold said Tuesday.

China, Mongolia see great potential for cashmere trade www.globaltimes.cn

Mongolia has long pushed to diversify its economy and increase the economic viability of its livestock sector, particularly its wool and cashmere business. This is also important for China. Although China sits atop the global cashmere production rankings, well ahead of second-placed Mongolia in output terms, Chinese traders are still the biggest purchasers of Mongolian cashmere. During the 18th Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in the coastal city of Qingdao, East China's Shandong Province in June, Mongolian President Khaltmaagiin Battulga proposed cooperating with China in areas including the cashmere industry as the two countries account for 95 percent of the world's market for raw cashmere, according to the Office of the President of Mongolia.

In a recent interview with the Global Times (GT), Li Chao (Li), a junior research fellow with the Russia and Mongolia Research Institute at the Inner Mongolia Academy of Social Sciences, shared his thoughts on the prospects for China-Mongolia cooperation in the cashmere trade.

GT: How important is Mongolia's cashmere push for the nation's diversification strategy?

Li: The push for a diversified economy has been a key issue for Mongolia and in recent years the country has put a greater emphasis on increasing livestock output. The Mongolian government's Action Program for 2016-20 calls for stepped-up implementation of the "Mongolian Livestock" national program. It is expected that the economic viability of the nation's livestock sector will be improved as a system is to be put in place regarding the collection, storage and transportation of wool, cashmere and leather, among other efforts.

That said, the cashmere business, in particular, means a lot to the nation's diversification drive. Due to Mongolia's harsh winter, the nation's goats grow longer hair which can be sheared into wool that is warmer than that of other breeds. This, in addition to Mongolia's natural-style livestock farming and cashmere production, renders Mongolian cashmere competitive in the global market. Cashmere is not just the Mongolian livestock industry's top export business, but the nation's second-largest export category after minerals.

In an effort to boost its cashmere industry, the government in February launched a four-year program aiming specifically to improve the manufacturing and technological innovation of cashmere products and to provide financial support for cashmere companies.

The Mongolian government not only hopes to increase exports of semi-finished cashmere products, but also wants to foster higher value-added exports and increase the profitability of the country's cashmere businesses. The cashmere industry could help to cut the economy's heavy reliance on mining exports.

GT: What are the challenges facing Mongolia's cashmere sector?

Li: The cashmere industry is increasing its role in Mongolia's economy but it still faces challenges. About two-thirds of Mongolian cashmere companies currently focus on the manufacturing of cashmere products for preliminary processing and there is only a small number of companies involved in making cashmere yarn and knitted products. The issue with preliminary processing is unlikely to be resolved overnight.

Additionally, drying surface waters have over the years aggravated desertification in Mongolia. Climate change and overgrazing are also believed to have resulted in the degradation of much of the country's pastures. This fragile ecological environment could hinder the growth of Mongolia's cashmere industry.

On top of that, there is a concern about fundraising for small and medium-sized businesses. Smaller cashmere processing companies in the country still don't have sufficient capital to purchase raw cashmere or upgrade their technologies. Although the national cashmere program will offer some financial support, the annualized loan rates it provides remain unaffordable for some companies. This suggests further fiscal and financial support will be essential for the country's cashmere businesses.

GT: What is the potential for the trade in cashmere between China and Mongolia?

Li: Last year, cashmere was Mongolia's fifth-largest export to China, behind coal, copper powder, crude oil and iron ore, according to official data. China's imports of Mongolian cashmere have risen steadily in recent years. Normally, Mongolian cashmere exported to China is processed further and turned into finished products for re-export. It could be said that the two countries' cooperation on cashmere mainly revolves around the trade of semi-finished cashmere products.

Owing to insufficient processing capacity, even if Mongolia upgrades its cashmere supply chain, its domestic factories remain weak in terms of further processing of raw materials. This means that exporting semi-finished cashmere products is still in the interests of the Mongolian economy. As the world's largest cashmere producer and consumer, China is also in need of raw cashmere from Mongolia. This matters not just in terms of quantity; it also suits China's need for different varieties of cashmere. In another sign of complementarity, Mongolian cashmere makers also import wool cashmere blends from China. The two countries' cooperation in this regard will be expected to effectively push for bilateral trade growth.

GT: What still needs to be done to build a closer partnership between the two countries in the cashmere trade?

Li: It is of vital importance for Mongolia to create a sound investment climate to attract Chinese cashmere businesses. That would require sufficient legal protection and stable investment policies for Chinese investors. Mongolia should also keep a close watch on China's cashmere consumption market and cashmere processing technologies. China, for its part, can encourage Mongolian cashmere makers to enter into the country's bonded warehouses, and can help in setting up sales channels for Mongolian cashmere finished products to be distributed across China. China might also transfer some of its preliminary processing capacities or technologies to Mongolia.

The two countries could also cooperate on the monitoring of quality management of raw cashmere and jointly explore the international market for finished products. More importantly, the two countries need to consider plans for strategic cooperation in the field of cashmere, which could involve the creation of an effective long-term mechanism highlighting bilateral exchanges in technologies, talent training and environmental protection so as to drive diversified development of Sino-Mongolian trade.

Tripartite Committee suggests to null 29th resolution for public service pay raise www.zgm.mn

National Tripartite Committee of Labour and Social Consensus has announced that they suggested to null three articles of the Parliament’s 29th resolution, which prevents public servants’ salary increase within the frames of the Extended Fund Facility program (EFF) of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). In April 2017, the Parliament issued the 29th resolution that would suspend pay raise of public servants in 2017-2019. Although the EFF has forbid the Government from increasing public sector salaries, the IMF, in its third review, stated “The fiscal over-performance has provided some room for adapting program policies including a rise in civil service salaries in 2019 after several years of restraint.” Plus, the Minister of Labour and Social Protection Chinzorig Sodnom addressed the pay raise to IMF staff team during their visit earlier this month.

Mongolia's first indoor hockey rink www.news.mn

Since 1999, Mongolia has had membership in the International Ice Hockey Federation, and although they are not currently ranked in the top 50 teams, they did, this year, win their first ever Asian tournament. It was an impressive feat considering they are the only team that does not have the advantages that come with an indoor arena.

Trump to relax carbon limits on power plants to support US coal www.mining.com

The Trump administration proposed Tuesday new rules for regulating carbon dioxide emissions from electricity generation, in a move that could keep aging coal-fired plants running longer and which is part of its strategy to support US coal mining.

The suggested pollution standards for power plants, known as the Affordable Clean Energy rule, are expected to cut retail electricity prices by just 0.2% to 0.5% by 2025, compared to the levels if President Barack Obama’s Clean Power Plan had gone into full effect.

The implementation of those rules were halted by the Supreme Court in 2016, to give the courts time to consider the arguments over whether the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had exceeded its legal authority.

The proposed rules are Trump’s latest attempt to fulfill campaign promises to revive the coal industry and restore mining jobs.
“There is nothing clean or affordable about this rule,” said Carter Roberts, president and CEO of the World Wildlife Fund, an advocacy group, in a statement. “Coal plants emit more carbon pollution than all other sources. They’re often more expensive than natural gas, solar, or wind energy. And worst of all, they impose severe public health costs on us all.”

But officials from the EPA say the proposal would provide companies with an incentive to update their operations and that the agency has other policies that reduce traditional pollutants.

According to the agency estimations, the power sector’s greenhouse gas emissions would continue to decline in coming years, but due mostly to market pressures. By 2030, carbon dioxide levels would be between 0.7% 1.5% lower than they would have without any regulation in place, according to an EPA analysis.

By contrast, the Obama administration projected that its rule would have cut emissions 19% over the same time frame. However, the updated EPA analysis says the Obama rule would mean only a 4% reduction because of the ongoing shift that utilities are making to natural gas and renewable power.

Costs to the environment, public health
Industry officials praised the move. Hal Quinn, president and CEO of the National Mining Association, said the rule change was “at the top” of the coal industry’s list of policy priorities, because utility executives had been shuttering coal plants at a fast pace when faced with the prospect of curbing emissions of not just carbon dioxide, but mercury, soot and smog-forming pollutants.

The proposed rules are Trump’s latest attempt to fulfill campaign promises to revive the coal industry and restore mining jobs. But experts believe they are unlikely to dramatically alter the US power mix or give a big boost to domestic coal demand, which has flagged amid competition from cheap natural gas and renewables.

The plan would have a significant impact in both the environment and public health. The EPA expects its changes to cause an uptick in particulate matter pollution — and the asthma attacks, respiratory diseases and premature deaths tied to it. There could be 470 to 1,400 additional premature deaths in 2030 under the most ambitious proposed power plant efficiency improvements, EPA predicted. Hospital admissions and emergency room visits for asthma would also climb.

Business development and opportunity with Agrofert of Czech Republic www.mongolianbusinessdatabase.com

Ms.Otgon-Erdene Mongolian national who is the Chief of HR department of Agrofert group has had the several meetings with MBD and formally agreed to cooperate on some particular missions.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to pay an official visit to Mongolia www.montsame.mn

Ulaanbaatar/MONTSAME/ State Councilor of the People's Republic of China and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi will pay an official visit to Mongolia on August 23-25, at the invitation of Foreign Minister D.Tsogtbaatar.

Mongolia’s Sales Managers Index reaches a four-month low in August www.gogo.mn

World Economics reported that Mongolia’s Sales Managers Index dropped to 58.3 points – its lowest rate over the last four months.

Russian military braces for massive war games in the east www.apnews.com

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s military forces in the country’s east were put on high alert Monday ahead of massive war games that also involve China and Mongolia, the largest show of power in nearly 40 years, the Russian defense minister said.

The 'Chinggis factor": Mongolians ranked 6th in the world by IQ level www.news.mn

Mongolia is ranked at the 6th place out of 80 countries by average national intelligence quotient IQ (101) according to the studies conducted by Richard Lynn, a British Professor of Psychology and Tatu Vanhanen, a Finnish Professor of political science.