Erenhot Port in North China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region has logged over 2,000 China-Europe freight train trips so far this year, the local railway authorities said on Friday.

Since the port launched its China-Europe freight train service in 2013, it has handled a total of more than 13,000 China-Europe freight train trips.

From the beginning of this year, the land port has offered a “green channel” for China-Europe freight trains, further improving operational efficiency.

Erenhot Port is the largest land port between China and Mongolia. Currently, 69 China-Europe freight train routes run through this port, linking China with more than 60 regions in over 10 countries, including Germany and Poland.

Source: Xinhua

China’s hydrogen sector is expected to see strong growth as local governments announce ambitious plans to produce quantities of the gas that far exceed the national target, analysts said.

However, slow growth in infrastructure and consumption demand remain major challenges that could put the sector at risk of overcapacity.

China’s provincial and municipal governments have jumped on the hydrogen bandwagon, rolling out plans to develop the industry after Beijing released its first ever national hydrogen strategy last March.

The country aims to have at least 50,000 hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (HFCEVs) on the road and produce 100,000 to 200,000 tonnes of “green hydrogen” – hydrogen produced by splitting water through the electrolysis process – annually by 2025, according to the plan.

However, the national targets were eclipsed by the plans rolled out by the local governments. For example, just the combined green hydrogen production targets set by the provinces of Inner Mongolia, Qinghai, and Gansu amount to 740,000 tonnes per year by 2025. Meanwhile, 13 provinces and cities aim to have 111,000 HFCEVs on the road by 2025, with more targets expected to be announced.

“On the green hydrogen production side, major investments from state-owned enterprises are easing a significant overbuild in terms of production – an endemic issue in the energy transition where getting supply and demand more or less in balance has proven difficult and is an investment risk,” said a Citi Global Perspectives & Solutions (Citi GPS) report released this month.

China, already the world’s largest hydrogen producer, accounted for around 60 per cent of global electrolyser shipments in 2022 and is estimated to dominate at least half of the global market in 2023, according to BloombergNEF.

However, green hydrogen demand remains low globally, with a projected demand of 10 gigawatts (GW) in 2025 as compared to at least 71GW of electrolyser manufacturing capacity to be online by the end of 2024, BloombergNEF data showed.

“The wide range of potential shipments attests to China’s significant overcapacity to ship electrolysers,” the Citi GPS report said. “Overcapacity is not just endemic to electrolyser manufacturing: consumption lags supply in hydrogen as a transport fuel and indeed in a wide range of green energy areas.”

For example, HFCEV sales were low at 3,367 units in 2022, according to data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. To meet the 50,000 target, average annual sales from 2023 to 2025 will need to be roughly 12,500, some four times higher than the 2022 sales.

China’s northern coal-producing provinces, such as Inner Mongolia, Hebei, Jilin, and Gansu are playing a significant role in the hydrogen sector’s rapid growth, driven by the unfavourable long-term outlook for the coal industry under China’s 2060 net-zero emissions goals and Chinese president Xi Jinping’s announcement two years ago calling for the reduction in coal use from 2026, said Cosimo Ries, an energy analyst at think tank Trivium China.

“Meanwhile, these northern provinces also boast some of the most abundant renewable energy resources in the country, which local policymakers hope to leverage to turn them into the most cost-competitive regions for hydrogen production,” said Ries.

Ries argued it’s unlikely that China’s hydrogen sector will struggle with overcapacity as the national hydrogen targets appear highly conservative and there are ample opportunities for industries such as steel, cement and aviation to use green hydrogen to replace the fossil fuel-derived grey hydrogen because the former only accounts for a fraction of China’s annual production of the gas.

Grey hydrogen is created from natural gas, without capturing the greenhouse gases given off in the process.

As is the case globally, China’s hydrogen market remains at a nascent stage, with big challenges around the pace of expected cost declines and supply chain integration.

“The business model of hydrogen energy hasn’t been fully established yet. At present, it still relies heavily on government policies to drive the development of the industry,” said Kevin Kang, chief economist at KPMG China.

The country’s sluggish economy is also a factor slowing down the sector’s growth, he added.

The hydrogen fuel cells and HFCEV industries are probably a decade behind the lithium-ion battery and electric vehicle industries when it comes to cost, economies of scale, and technological maturity, according to Ries. Other more promising sectors such as steel and cement face similar problems over costs and inadequate infrastructure for hydrogen transport and storage, he said.

“These problems will be resolved gradually, but are tricky issues and will take time,” said Ries. “Policy mechanisms like government subsidies or a more expansive emission trading system with higher carbon prices will no doubt help, though we’re not sure what Beijing has planned.”

BY Yujie Xue

Yujie Xue covers China technology for the Post in Shenzhen. Before joining the SCMP in 2020, she was a technology features reporter at Shanghai-based news outlet Sixth Tone. She studied Mass Communication at Boston University.

China’s imports of Australian coal rose in July even as total coal arrivals declined, with Australia’s high-quality fuel remaining cheaper than domestic supplies while demand from utilities stayed strong amid stifling hot weather.

China brought in 6.31 million metric tons of Australian coal last month, up from 4.83 million tons in June and the highest in three years, data from the General Administration of Customs showed on Sunday.

Australian shipments comprised 6.15 million tons of thermal coal used in power plants and 161,619 tons of coking coal for steelmaking.

The step up of Australian coal imports came even as China’s overall coal imports eased in July by 1.5% from June.

High-quality Australian thermal coal is needed for China’s power plants to meet soaring electricity consumption in summer when households increase air conditioning demand.

Australia’s thermal coal with energy content of 5,500 kilocalories traded as much as 70 yuan ($9.62) a ton lower than the same quality domestic coal in the southern port of Guangzhou in July, trading sources said.

Analysts and market participants expect Australian coal imports to remain high through the year – assuming no policy changes – supported by robust import profits and lower domestic output due to stricter mine safety inspections.

Arrivals of Russian coal in July edged down to 8.99 million tons from June’s record 10.65 million tons, but were up 21% from the same month last year.

Imports from Mongolia, mostly coking coal, grew 13% from June to 5.94 million tons, even as lower steel production dented demand for steelmaking raw materials.

Customs data also showed 15.83 million tons of Indonesian coal were imported in July, down from 16.32 million tons in June.

Source: Reuters (Reporting by Muyu Xu; Editing by William Mallard)

Did you know that the musical hit Bohemian Rhapsody by the British rock band Queen could have been titled as ‘Mongolian Rhapsody’? And that the band’s most loved member Freddie Mercury had an eye for detail in the history of fashion, so much so that he understood the boundless opportunities for creativity by selecting materials with which he knew he could create some spectacular outfits, while also being able to move freely on stage. From stage costumes, handwritten lyrics, fine and decorative arts, Japanese art, precious objects and a trove of personal belongings, there’s a display revealing a new side of the global icon, Freddie Mercury, in his never-before-seen private collection at Sotheby’s exhibition and auction series. The exhibition at Sotheby’s London galleries is up all throughout August with six auctions in September.

As the chief songwriter and vocalist for the rock band Queen, Mercury had gone beyond the realms of a musician or performer. His dazzling creativity was nothing less than a global cultural phenomenon. The contents of Freddie Mercury’s London home, Garden Lodge in Kensington, West London, all lovingly cherished and cared for over the last three decades by Mary Austin, one of Mercury’s closest and most trusted friends, are revealed in this exhibition, while celebrating Mercury’s rich and multi-faceted life and passion.

For instance, one of Mercury’s lyrics and writings reveal that he originally planned to call the song ‘Mongolian Rhapsody’, before crossing out Mongolian and replacing it with ‘Bohemian’ — rhythmically similar but with a different resonance. There is also an unseen trove of Mercury’s handwritten working drafts for Queen’s immortal hits with pages revealing the genesis of a roll call of Queen songs — most created during a burst of great creativity in the mid-1970s — which, almost 50 years on, continue to resonate throughout contemporary culture.

“The rare survival of the manuscripts provide fascinating insights into how his songs were developed and put together, as well as reminding us of their musical complexity and sophistication. The pages bear witness to the many hours he put into perfecting his craft, as he experiments and plays with language, hones and shapes the lyrics and harmonies for songs which have always been there in our lives”, says Dr Gabriel Heaton, Sotheby’s books & manuscripts specialist. Revealing an alternative title and narratives for Queen’s greatest commercial hit: The Autograph Working Lyrics for Bohemian Rhapsody from circa 1974 is estimated at £800,000-1,200,000; Handwritten working lyrics to Bohemian Rhapsody are estimated at £800,000-1.2 million, written in black and blue ballpoint pen and pencil, this early draft for Bohemian Rhapsody encompasses all sections of this most ambitious of Queen hits, one of the most globally beloved and streamed songs, with almost four billion streams across Spotify and YouTube alone, and the third best-selling UK single of all time. There’s also a completely unseen, unrecorded red notebook from the early 1970s, which was one of his prized possessions, dating back to the period before Queen were signed as a band. As well as including his own working lyrics (Stone Cold Crazy, Liar, and Keep Yourself Alive) the notebook reveals which songs by other artists Queen were performing at the time, with set-lists for early gigs featuring Elvis Presley’s Jailhouse Rock and The Rolling Stones’ Stupid Girl. It also includes doodles, designs for Queen’s logo and fragments of unpublished songs. All the notes are written across 42 pages in total with coffee stains on the cover.

There’s a section of Mercury’s sensational costumes relating to songs and promotional video for which he commissioned designer-friend, Wendy de Smet to create a catsuit and bolero of ivory satin. An Indian miniature painting dating back to the 16th century is part of this collection. The Mughal folio from an ‘Akbarnama’ depicting a prince on horseback with his entourage is said to be reflective of the flamboyant artist’s Indian Parsi ancestry.

The bustling city of Ulaanbaatar is brimming with excitement and pride as it hosts the East Asian Youth Games (EAYG), demonstrating exceptional talent and sportsmanship from the region's young athletes.

In the competition of Basketball (3x3), the Mongolian Men's Youth 3x3 Basketball Team reached the final match with a record of no defeats. On August 18, Mongolia defeated China in the final with a score of 18:15, bagging a gold medal and claiming the title of East Asian Champions.

The Mongolian Women's Youth 3x3 Basketball Team also won a bronze medal after defeating a team from Hong Kong.

Currently, Mongolia has won a total of 19 medals: 3 gold, 6 silver, and 10 bronze.

Dr. Oliver Corff, a German Mongolist delivered a presentation on "Reading Constitutions as Sources of Intellectual History: 100 Years of Constitutions in Mongolia" at the Mongolia Society, Economy, Politics, and Legal Studies section of the 12th International Congress of Mongolists. A reporter of MONTSAME Mongolian National News Agency talked with him about his studies and Mongol Studies.

- There are probably very few foreign Mongolists, who have studied the Constitution of Mongolia. Why did you choose this topic?

-I chose this topic because of my own history. In February 1992, when I was studying in Mongolia, the new Constitution of Mongolia was approved. That was the time when the country changed its name from the People's Republic of Mongolia to Mongolia. I talked to many people about the new Constitution, and after reading the preamble, I thought that it was the first law that clearly stated the independence of Mongolia and the human rights and freedoms of its citizens. I decided to translate your new Constitution from Mongolian to German and started work in 1992-1993, but I could not find a publisher to print it.

When I read 2-3 books of the old Constitution of Mongolia, which I had bought in a secondhand book shop after returning to Mongolia I found the old Constitution completely different from the new one. The study of the history of your Constitution begins here. The first Constitution of Mongolia was written in 1924, and the second Constitution was approved in 1940. However, in the 1940s, many amendments were made to it. By 1957, the articles of the second Constitution increased to 108. Numerous words related to socialism were included in the third Constitution in the 1960s. It might be related to the friendly relations with the USSR at that time. I have a goal to publish a work that comprises all the Constitutions of Mongolia from 1924 to 1992 with explanations in both Mongolian and German languages. This is my plan for the past 15 years. The new Constitution adopted by the Mongolians in 1992 is already 30 years old. Therefore, you can now discuss and decide whether it is useful/ beneficial for the people and whether it is suitable for Mongolians. In general, there is a huge difference between the Constitution of the socialist era and the current Constitution. The Constitutions of 1924-1960 were written on the Soviet model. In other words, it was not written or edited by Mongolians.

- I intended to ask you a question related to that. When writing the new Constitution of 1992, it is said that a lot was taken from the Constitution of Germany. How reasonable is that?

-Yes, there are some ideas taken from the Constitution of Germany. But the new Constitution is a real Mongolian law, written by Mongolians themselves. Those little things from Germany, I suppose, have contributed to and benefited your country and citizens. Another difference is that in 1991, when the new Constitution was being written, an academic group was established. That group included international legal experts, including German experts, while during the Soviet period, it was directly imposed that "your Constitution should be like this".

- You must have read and made a comparison between the Constitution of Germany and the new Constitution of Mongolia, adopted in 1992.

-Of course. I would like to say that these two laws are quite different, for example, regarding provisions related to the parliamentary system and the powers of the President and Prime Minister. The most important thing is that human rights and freedom are reflected in both Constitutions. Germany and Mongolia are countries with different histories. In addition, the new Constitution of Mongolia in 1992 clearly stated the relationship between citizens and the state. In the socialist era, the law always stated that the people are citizens. Not a citizen, but citizens, in order words people or communities. Let's mention an example of issues related to the rights and freedom of citizens. For example, the Constitutions before 1992 stated that the citizens should not work more than 8 hours. Such things should be reflected in the employment contract signed with the organization you work for. In general, there is no need to include such detailed provisions in the Constitution.

- Now, I would like to ask you a few questions as a Mongolist. You are the first scholar from Germany who worked at the Mongolian Academy of Sciences (MAS) since 1990, right?

-Yes. The first time I set foot in Mongolia was in 1981. But I lived and worked in Mongolia since 1991. At that time, I was working on a project to develop a computer program of traditional Mongol Script at the Institute of Linguistics of MAS. In addition, a plan for a Mongolian language dictionary was developed in cooperation with the research staff of the Institute of Linguistics. In the mid-1990s, I gave lectures on computer programming of Mongol Script to Cyrillic Script at MAS. I began publishing the never-before-published "Dictionary of the Qing Dynasty" or the "Dictionary of Manchu words written by the Emperor in five languages" (abbreviated as "Dictionary of Five Languages") written in 1794. It is a dictionary of Manchu, Tibetan, Chinese, Mongolian, and Tsagaadai languages with 18671 words.

- You have been working in Mongol studies since 1991. How is Mongol studies developing in the world?

-It is developing, but there are few Mongolists in any country, including Germany, France, and the US. It is related to geopolitical policy. The funding often depends on geopolitics. I studied modern Mongolia in East Germany when our country was divided into two. Walter Heissig was a prominent Mongolist from West Germany. There are some students of him, who study Mongolian history. Walther Heissig established the Permanent International Altaistic Conference (PIAC) and served as its Secretary General. I have been appointed PIAC Secretary General this year. Incidentally, PIAC was first established in 1957 and its regular meeting was recently held in Astana, Kazakhstan.

-You must have participated in most of the previous International Congresses of Mongolists. How is this conference different from previous meetings?

-My first participation in the International Congress of Mongolists was the one held in 1992. Since then, I have participated in several congresses. In my opinion, there is no significant difference. Of course, there are changes. The number of participating foreign scholars is increasing, and its scope is expanding internationally. In my opinion, this congress is an important event organized by Mongolia on the international stage. Mongol studies and academic works will notably contribute to Mongolia's soft power policy. Therefore, I think it would be very beneficial for Mongolia to continue to organize this congress in 5-6 years.

-Are young Mongolists emerging abroad?

-Yes, they are. A few years ago, there were few young Mongolists in Germany, but recently the number has been increasing. There has been a significant increase in foreign scholars who is good in Mongolian and are doing academic research. I find their research works very good, listening to the presentations about their works.

The growth in prices for consumer goods and services increased by 9.2 percent in July 2023 compared to the previous year.

Inflation increased by 6.8 percent compared to the end of last year and decreased by 0.3 percent compared to the previous month. Annual inflation is 9.4 percent in Ulaanbaatar. The lowest inflation is in Govi-Altai (6.6 percent), and the highest is in Selenge province (10.4 percent).

The national inflation rate reached 9.2 percent in July 2023, which is decreased by 7.2 percent from the previous year.

Prices for imported goods increased by 35.2 percent, which contributed to inflation by 3.2 percent.

It is noted that the inflation rate was directly affected by the increase in prices for food products, soft drinks and mineral water by 14.4 percent, for housing services, water, electricity, gas and other fuels by 5.5 percent, for medicines and medical services by 7.6 percent.

The Central Bank predicts that Mongolia’s GDP will grow by 5 percent by the end of 2023.

The Department of Urban Development and Construction gave an information on canceling the architectural planning of 1600 buildings Land Department of Ulaanbaatar city gave an information on location of households at risk of flooding and the places prepared for their relocation, and the results of a survey of 86 locations at risk of flooding, and information on construction issues such as "S Outlets" and "Aqua Garden".

- There are a total of 1,887 units affected by the special protection zone. "Aqua Garden" residential building, S outlets store, and Shunkhlai gas station which were built in the river basin will be demolished. It is possible according to the law. An ordinance was also issued on these issues.

The expenses related to the forced demolition of the buildings will be paid from the capital budget. According to the water act, the construction of buildings and structures within 50 meters of the river bank is prohibited. According to the law of general administrative, administrative acts are invalidated if it has a negative impact on rights and lawful interests of others, or public interest. It is also determined that the lives, property, and health of citizens will be damaged, which is the main basis for the order.

A working group will be created to decide compensation for the damages of the people who made reservations in the "Aqua Garden" residential building and S outlets which are under forced demolition.