She introduced ADB’s new Country Partnership Strategy, 2017-2020, for Mongolia that will guide ADB’s future investments, policy reform support, capacity building, and knowledge sharing in the country. Support will focus on three core pillars of activity. The first pillar is economic and social stability, a major part of which is to support macroeconomic stability while maintaining progress on social development. The second pillar is infrastructure for economic diversification, and the third pillar is strengthening environmental sustainability.

“Our jointly planned operations will foster economic diversification, job creation, and increase the efficiency and delivery of social services,” Ms. Fernandez Lommen said. “To that end, support will be provided to projects that support small- and medium-sized enterprises, in particular, agribusiness; infrastructure that promotes connectivity to facilitate access of Mongolia’s exports to external markets; urban development; and the construction of new schools and modern hospitals, among others. ADB and the Government of Mongolia will also pioneer a project to provide persons with disabilities with skills to integrate themselves in the labor market.”

Recalling his cooperation with ADB as a former Minister of Road and Transport, President Battulga emphasized the improvement of access to remote provinces from the capital city achieved with the assistance of ADB support to road sector projects. Noting that ADB’s continuous assistance is helping Mongolia sustain inclusive growth in a period of economic difficulty, the President expressed his appreciation for ADB’s 26-year engagement in the country.

ADB, based in Manila, is dedicated to reducing poverty in Asia and the Pacific through inclusive economic growth, environmentally sustainable growth, and regional integration. Established in 1966, ADB is celebrating 50 years of development partnership in the region. It is owned by 67 members—48 from the region. In 2016, ADB assistance totaled $31.7 billion, including $14 billion in cofinancing.

The Chinese company announced that it will take a $28 million stake in Pilbara Minerals. The move is part of an off-take tie-up aimed at supporting the proposed expansion of the lithium and tantalum project the Australian miner owns at Pilgangoora, 120km east of Port Hedland.

Under this agreement, Great Wall will take between 75,000 tonnes and 150,000 tonnes of spodumene concentrate from Pilbara, subject to the $100 million-plus stage 2 development of the project getting the go-ahead.

Great Wall's investment replaces a $17.75 million deal with General Lithium that, according to Pilbara, could not be sealed due to “regulatory constraints” in China.

The funding comes after Xanadu managing director Andrew Stewart spent last week at a gold conference at Beaver Creek.

The raising was priced at 20c per share, reflecting the strong interest.

Xanadu has been having ongoing success with large scale epithermal and porphyry prospects in Mongolia.

Shares were up 5% to 21c in midday trade, capitalising the company at $107 million.

"With the development of the Belt and Road Initiative, the world is facing a new boom in infrastructure investment, which will provide ample opportunities for PPP development," Li Pumin, secretary general of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), said at a PPP forum.

PPPs can help attract private capital, technology and professionals to infrastructure projects in countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative that were once dominated by the government, according to Jia Biao, an official with China Insurance Regulatory Commission.

Innovative financing models are necessary since some projects under the Belt and Road Initiative require large investments with long payback periods.

PPPs have existed in China since the 1980s, but the adoption of the financing mode had been slow until China released two PPP guidelines in 2014.

In China, operators of PPP projects are encouraged to directly solicit money from the capital market, and social security funds and insurance premiums are allowed to invest in these projects.

The Belt and Road Initiative, an infrastructure and trade network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along ancient trade routes, was put forward by China in 2013.

The service has started working in test mode and should become fully operational from mid-October.

“In Russia Tmall will be launched within the AliExpress platform. In fact, this marks the brand's debut outside China,” one of the sources said.

AliExpress is one of the most popular online shops in Russia with an estimated 15.6 million customers each month.

According to the people familiar with the matter, Tmall will operate in Russia as a separate online shop and a marketplace (or e-platform), uniting an unlimited number of sellers.

Goods will be delivered from the warehouses of Alibaba's partners in Russia, and not from Chinese storage facilities (cross-border trade), as with AliExpress.

"We started localizing AliExpress in Russia two years ago, launching the marketplace ‘Mall’ within the platform. The upgrade to Tmall means a better quality of services due to a more careful selection of goods, a single warehouse, and logistics based on courier delivery, along with delivery to special points of issue,” said Director of Development of AliExpress in Russia and CIS Mark Zavadsky.

He added that Tmall will offer all kinds of goods, ranging from electronics and household appliances to clothing and children's goods. Russian and international brands, as well as some favorite Chinese brands in Russia, will be available to customers.

According to statistics, Tmall’s website is the 14th most visited, with more than 14,000 international brands registered.

In 2015, Russia and China started an online e-commerce platform called TradeEase aimed at increasing cross-border trade between the two countries.

The SSE initiative currently has 66 partner stock exchanges globally. The vast network presents an opportunity for the MSE to work together with global investors, issuers, policy makers, regulators and other stock exchanges to promote stock exchange’s role in global sustainable development.

Mr. Altai Khangai, MSE CEO was quoted “Mongolian Stock Exchange is committed to be one of the pioneers to promote sustainable financing in our country and encourage sustainable business practices among our listed companies. We are looking forward to engage in dialogue and cooperation with other exchanges around the world to further advance the stock exchange’s role in promoting global sustainable development,” on the SSE Initiative’s website.

According to CNN, even though China announced in February that it would halt all coal shipments from its smaller neighbour through the end of this year, official customs data shows the country stuck to that pledge until last month, when imports of the black mineral added up to $138.1 million.

The increase is noticeable, given that in January China imported about $122.5 million worth of coal, while the number dropped to $98.1 million in February and to zero in March.

Experts consulted by the TV station said that the reason that explains Beijing’s behaviour is that the February ban was imposed so abruptly that several shipments were already sitting at Chinese ports and they had to be cleared before the September 5 sanctions deadline. Following that deadline, the Asian giant said it would not process coal imports from Pyongyang, even if the goods had already arrived.

In a strict sense, China did not violate the Security Council's resolutions. However, analysts such as Anthony Ruggiero, senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told CNN that actions by Xi Jinping’s government show that it is not a reliable partner.

Ruggiero hopes that China learns from this situation, particularly once its officials see that more Chinese firms and banks are being sanctioned as the US Treasury Department executes its new powers to crack down even harder on anyone who does business with the Kim Jong-un administration.

The call [transcript] came as a result of economic and cultural implications the nations agricultural community is facing as a result of expanding the expanding mining industry. Knox found that while Mongolia has comprehensive environmental legislation, it lacks a necessary implementation framework, causing damage to the environment. He also said that areas in Mongolia are some of the most polluted due to coal burning affecting the air and mining poisoning the water supply:

This air pollution interferes with the rights to life and health because it causes respiratory and cardiopulmonary illnesses that lead to premature mortality. The effects are felt most severely by the most vulnerable, including the old and the ill. Many studies have shown that children are particularly at risk. For example, in 2016, UNICEF estimated that over 400 children under the age of five were dying every year in Ulaanbaatar as a result of pneumonia related to air pollution. In addition, exposure to air pollution in childhood can result in long-term health problems, including lung cancer and cardiovascular disease.
He called on on Mongolia to standardize mining procedures to safeguard the environment:
Mining standards should ensure that the mining is done safely, that it minimizes environmental harm, and that after the mining is completed, the site is restored as far as possible to its original status. Unavoidable harm should be offset and/or compensated. When done correctly, this process can and should result in benefits not only for the country as a whole, but also for the local communities directly affected by the mining.
More importantly he urged Mongolia to protect indigenous land rights activists, noting recent attacks and threats of violence leveled against environmentalist and human rights defenders.

Mr Knox noted that Mongolia has better statistics than many countries on human rights and environment, but still has some problems. He said, ‘Air-pollution in Ulaanbaatar, water and soil-pollution along the banks of the River Tuul have become very serious problems in Mongolia. Generally, Mongolians are known as having a positive attitude to the environment, nevertheless coal ash and rubbish has been scattered along River Tuul.

During his visit to Zaamar soum, the UN expert warned that environmental pollution is reaching a critical level. Also, Mr Knox criticized the ‘Gold’ programme, implemented by the Mongolian government over the environment situation.