According to D.Davaasuren, a total of 32 projects are included in the Program on the Establishment of the Economic Corridor of Mongolia, Russia and China. Within the framework of the program, proposals are sent to the two neighboring countries to establish “Investment Projecting Center” in Mongolia. Also, an expert-level meeting is expected to take place in Ulaanbaatar in March to talk issues concerning the program.

The MFA is focusing on renewing the “national program to support exports” and advancing the implementation of “Mongol Export” program and the establishment of a free-trade zone in Zamiin-Uud and Erenhot cross-border port areas.

Also, the Ministry informed about its plans for this year, which include joining Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement to increase and enable the exports of domestic products to the neighboring countries’ markets, improving the legal environment of foreign trade, negotiating free-trade agreements with third neighbors and economic unions, attending ASEM Economic Ministers’ meeting, promoting public-private partnerships and conducting effective economic "advertisements".

The State Secretary also gave information on Mongolia's relations with its third neighbors and major trade partners. For instance, Mongolia and Japan signed Economic Partnership Agreement in June 2016. In this connection, 13 subcommittees were re-established to create a permanent consultation mechanism.

On that note, the MFA officials noted that Mongolia is to sign free-trade agreement with the Republic of Korea. Within the framework, Mongolia and South Korea signed the terms of reference of a joint research team on establishing Economic Partnership Agreement in October 2016 and organized the first meeting of the joint group in December 2016.

In addition, the officials noted that agreed with the Eurasian Economic Union to commence joint research on free-trade agreement with the union in order to reduce and remove tariffs and non-tariff barriers for Mongolia's export products to Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Armenia.

During the press conference, the State Secretary of Foreign Ministry reported that Foreign Minister Ts.Munkh-Orgil has been invited by Minister for Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, Wang Yi. The Foreign Minister of Mongolia may visit to China on February 19-20.

During the meeting, the sides reaffirmed their mutual interest of collaboration to increase bilateral trade turnover and investment and balance trade deficit, eliminate tariff and non-tariff barriers, draw more Russian investment to infrastructure and energy sectors of Mongolia by co-implementing joint projects.

In addition, the sides agreed to cooperate towards the development of favorable legal environment and promotion of regional cooperation, in particular, cross-border cooperation between Mongolia and Russia.

Within the framework of the target to eliminate tariff and non-tariff trade barriers, FM Ts.Munkh-Orgil asked for Russia’s assistance in forming a joint research working group on establishing a free trade agreement with the Eurasian Economic Commission.

Moreover, the dignitaries agreed to study feasibilities to form a council responsible for establishing Investment Projecting Centre in Ulaanbaatar and making policy adjustments on trilateral cooperation within the framework of the activation of the implementation of the tripartite program on Establishing Mongolia-Russia-China Economic Corridor.

In this regard, a trilateral meeting of Mongolia, China and Russia was arranged to take place in Ulaanbaatar this March, as consulted with the Chinese side. Deputy Minister A.Gruzdev noted that a large delegation from Mongolia is invited to the Russia-China EXPO, which will held in Harbin, China in June with an aim of deepening the economic ties of three countries.

Met coal is down more than $150 below its multi-year high of $308.80 per tonne (Australia free-on-board premium hard coking coal tracked by the Steel Index) hit in November despite customs data showing a huge jump in Chinese imports.

China forges more steel than the rest of the world combined and the country last year imported 59.2 million tonnes of coking coal, an increase of nearly 24% over 2015.

However, as TSI points out in its latest review of the market Mongolia accounted for 23.6 million tonnes of total imports as imports from Canada and Russia declined by 9.3% and 19.4% respectively while the US exported no coking coal to China.

At the height of the price rally Mongolian coking coal went for as little as 75% below the spot price
Mongolia increased production by 85% last year. With domestic output curtailed by Beijing, so feverish was Chinese demand that Mongolian trucks carrying steam and met coal created the world's longest traffic jam on the border between the two countries.

But it's not the volume of Mongolian exports that should worry producers in Australia and elsewhere, but price. As a captive supplier (and due to a deal struck by Ulaanbaatar to use coal exports to pay down debts owed to Aluminum Corporation of China, or Chalco) land-locked Mongolia sells its coal for much less than the seaborne price.

At the height of the price boom in November Mongolian coking coal went for as little as 75% below the spot price (thermal coal sold for less than a third of Australian benchmarks) and nowhere near the benchmark contract prices for the Q1 2017 settled between Australian miners and Japanese steelmakers at $285 a tonne.

Another low cost supplier to China, North Korea may also impact the price this year. Under UN sanctions the dictatorship's export of coking coal – all of which goes to China –would be limited to 7.5 million tonnes this year, down nearly two thirds from the 2016 tally. But Beijing has in the past ignored some UN sanctions on the basis that it would hurt the civilian population of North Korea.

Despite the pullback metallurgical coal is still trading at more than double multi-year lows reached this time last year. Coking coal averaged $143 a tonne in 2016 (about the same as it did in 2013). Consensus forecast is for the price to average about the same in 2017.

In 2011 floods in key export region in Queensland saw the coking coal price briefly trade at an all-time high of $335 a tonne.