1 MONGOLIA MARKS CENTENNIAL WITH A NEW COURSE FOR CHANGE WWW.EASTASIAFORUM.ORG PUBLISHED:2024/12/20      2 E-MART OPENS FIFTH STORE IN ULAANBAATAR, MONGOLIA, TARGETING K-FOOD CRAZE WWW.BIZ.CHOSUN.COM PUBLISHED:2024/12/20      3 JAPAN AND MONGOLIA FORGE HISTORIC DEFENSE PACT UNDER THIRD NEIGHBOR STRATEGY WWW.ARMYRECOGNITION.COM  PUBLISHED:2024/12/20      4 CENTRAL BANK LOWERS ECONOMIC GROWTH FORECAST TO 5.2% WWW.UBPOST.MN PUBLISHED:2024/12/20      5 L. OYUN-ERDENE: EVERY CITIZEN WILL RECEIVE 350,000 MNT IN DIVIDENDS WWW.GOGO.MN PUBLISHED:2024/12/20      6 THE BILL TO ELIMINATE THE QUOTA FOR FOREIGN WORKERS IN MONGOLIA HAS BEEN SUBMITTED WWW.GOGO.MN PUBLISHED:2024/12/20      7 THE SECOND NATIONAL ONCOLOGY CENTER TO BE CONSTRUCTED IN ULAANBAATAR WWW.MONTSAME.MN PUBLISHED:2024/12/20      8 GREEN BOND ISSUED FOR WASTE RECYCLING WWW.MONTSAME.MN PUBLISHED:2024/12/19      9 BAGANUUR 50 MW BATTERY STORAGE POWER STATION SUPPLIES ENERGY TO CENTRAL SYSTEM WWW.MONTSAME.MN PUBLISHED:2024/12/19      10 THE PENSION AMOUNT INCREASED BY SIX PERCENT WWW.GOGO.MN PUBLISHED:2024/12/19      КОКС ХИМИЙН ҮЙЛДВЭРИЙН БҮТЭЭН БАЙГУУЛАЛТЫГ ИРЭХ ОНЫ ХОЁРДУГААР УЛИРАЛД ЭХЛҮҮЛНЭ WWW.MONTSAME.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2024/12/20     "ЭРДЭНЭС ТАВАНТОЛГОЙ” ХК-ИЙН ХУВЬЦАА ЭЗЭМШИГЧ ИРГЭН БҮРД 135 МЯНГАН ТӨГРӨГ ӨНӨӨДӨР ОЛГОНО WWW.MONTSAME.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2024/12/20     ХУРИМТЛАЛЫН САНГИЙН ОРЛОГО 2040 ОНД 38 ИХ НАЯДАД ХҮРЭХ ТӨСӨӨЛӨЛ ГАРСАН WWW.NEWS.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2024/12/20     “ЭРДЭНЭС ОЮУ ТОЛГОЙ” ХХК-ИАС ХЭРЛЭН ТООНО ТӨСЛИЙГ ӨМНӨГОВЬ АЙМАГТ ТАНИЛЦУУЛЛАА WWW.EAGLE.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2024/12/20     Л.ОЮУН-ЭРДЭНЭ: ХУРИМТЛАЛЫН САНГААС НЭГ ИРГЭНД 135 МЯНГАН ТӨГРӨГИЙН ХАДГАЛАМЖ ҮҮСЛЭЭ WWW.EAGLE.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2024/12/20     “ENTRÉE RESOURCES” 2 ЖИЛ ГАРУЙ ҮРГЭЛЖИЛСЭН АРБИТРЫН МАРГААНД ЯЛАЛТ БАЙГУУЛАВ WWW.BLOOMBERGTV.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2024/12/20     “ORANO MINING”-ИЙН ГЭРЭЭ БОЛОН ГАШУУНСУХАЙТ-ГАНЦМОД БООМТЫН ТӨСЛИЙН АСУУДЛААР ЗАСГИЙН ГАЗАР ХУРАЛДАЖ БАЙНА WWW.BLOOMBERGTV.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2024/12/20     АЖИЛЧДЫН САРЫН ГОЛЧ ЦАЛИН III УЛИРЛЫН БАЙДЛААР ₮2 САЯ ОРЧИМ БАЙНА WWW.BLOOMBERGTV.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2024/12/19     PROGRESSIVE EQUITY RESEARCH: 2025 ОН “PETRO MATAD” КОМПАНИД ЭЭЛТЭЙ БАЙХААР БАЙНА WWW.BLOOMBERGTV.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2024/12/19     2026 ОНЫГ ДУУСТАЛ ГАДААД АЖИЛТНЫ ТОО, ХУВЬ ХЭМЖЭЭГ ХЯЗГААРЛАХГҮЙ БАЙХ ХУУЛИЙН ТӨСӨЛ ӨРГӨН МЭДҮҮЛЭВ WWW.EAGLE.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2024/12/19    

Events

Name organizer Where
MBCC “Doing Business with Mongolia seminar and Christmas Receptiom” Dec 10. 2024 London UK MBCCI London UK Goodman LLC

NEWS

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Chinese coal-rich province closes, restructures 25 coal mines www.xinhuanet.com.cn

 
TAIYUAN, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- Shanxi Province, which supplies about a quarter of China's coal, shut down or restructured 25 coal mines this year, cutting 23.25 million tonnes of coal production capacity.
 
The results surpassed the target of closing or restructuring 21 coal mines and reducing 20 million tonnes of production this year, set in August as part of a plan to cut overcapacity between 2016 and 2020, according to local land and resources authorities.
 
At the end of October, Shanxi's coal enterprises had inventories of 30.84 million tonnes, 4.91 million tonnes lower than a month previously.
 
In addition, the enterprises ended a 26-month run of losses in September.
 
China plans to cut coal capacity by about 500 million tonnes from 2016 to 2020.
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Apple supplier Foxconn is in talks to invest in the U.S. www.cnn.com

One of Apple's biggest suppliers is in talks to invest in the United States.
Taiwan-based Foxconn is a giant contract manufacturer that plays a key role in assembling iPhones for Apple (AAPL, Tech30), employing hundreds of thousands of workers in mainland China.
"We are in preliminary discussions regarding a potential investment that would represent an expansion of our current U.S. operations," Foxconn said in a statement provided to CNNMoney.
The company was responding to the appearance of Foxconn's name on a document carried by a top Japanese tech CEO in a meeting Tuesday with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.

After the meeting, Trump took credit for a planned $50 billion investment in U.S. startups by the Japanese company, Softbank (SFTBF), that he said would create 50,000 jobs.
Photos showed SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son holding a document with the logos of both his company and Foxconn's.
"Commit to: Invest $50bn + $7bn in US, generate 50k + 50k new jobs in US in next 4 years," the document said.
foxconn terry gou
Foxconn founder Terry Gou speaking at a shareholders meeting in Taiwan in June.
That led to speculation that Foxconn could be planning to invest $7 billion in the U.S. to create 50,000 jobs.
But Foxconn declined to provide any further information.
"While the scope of the potential investment has not been determined, we will announce the details of any plans following the completion of direct discussions between our leadership and the relevant U.S. officials," it said.

Foxconn declined to comment on whether the possible investment is linked to Trump's election.
Trump tweeted that Son told him Softbank's investment would not have happened if Trump hadn't won the U.S. election. After the meeting, Son said he told Trump he would like to "celebrate his presidential job" because Trump has made deregulation part of his platform.
But it wasn't clear how much of the money Son pledged might have ended up in the U.S. anyway.
In October, weeks before the election, SoftBank and the government of Saudi Arabia announced plans to form a $100 billion fund to invest in technology companies around the world. Son told The Wall Street Journal in an interview that the money he promised Trump would come from the huge fund.
It wasn't clear why Son was carrying a document with Foxconn's name on it. The two companies are separate but have worked together in the past. Son is known to be friends with Foxconn's founder, Terry Gou.
-- Jill Disis and David Goldman contributed to this report.

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E.Amartuvshin becomes Cultural Envoy www.en.montsame.mn

 
Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ Minister of Foreign Affairs Ts.Munkh-Orgil handed opera singer E.Amartuvshin the certificate of Cultural Envoy of Mongolia on December 6. State Honored Artist E.Amartuvshin has shown brilliant successes in international competitions.
 
The FM highlighted an importance of appointing the citizens, who are promoting Mongolia and shaping its image to the world, the cultural envoys in disseminating Mongolia’s culture to the world.
 
The practice has been embodied by the Ministry since 2015. The cultural envoys contributes greatly to progressing cultural, historic, humanitarian and scientific interactions with many different countries of the world.
 
E.Amartuvshin won the second place of the International Tchaikovsky Competition and the Audience Award of BBC Cardiff Singer of the World.
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Trump's impact on metals and mining in one chart www.mining.com

 
Ahead of the US presidential election great hopes were pinned on the performance of the gold price should Donald Trump prevail. A few analysts saw a Trump victory sending gold to $1,500 or well beyond.
 
After a brief surge to $1338 an ounce on election night, gold's nearly $180 an ounce collapse has unnerved the entire sector – even those companies enjoying the bounce in base metals that started way before Trump even became the Republican candidate.
 
Gold's now barely hanging on to double digit gains for 2016 and the performance of the metal since Trump's victory has dragged down precious metals. The exception is palladium thanks to its status as an industrial metal mainly used in automobile manufacture. Silver's slide since the election has also been relatively contained – some 50% of silver finds application in industry.
 
While zinc – up 70% since the start of the year after adding another 12% in value since November 8 – would benefit from president elect Trump's $500 billion infrastructure and fiscal stimulus plans, the change in sentiment towards industrial metals is nowhere clearer than in the copper price.
 
The bellwether metal's 2016 performance had been lacklustre compared to zinc, tin (+46% year to date), nickel (+34%) and lead (+28%), but the metal started to move even before the vote and is now 25% to the better for the year.
 
The world's second most traded bulk commodity after oil, iron ore (+16% since the election and 83% year to date) has defied expectations and while the price of the steelmaking raw material is influenced more by stimulus in top consumer China, Trump's infrastructure push should provide some support.
 
US coal prices are off their lows reached in September and October, but despite avowed support from the Trump team the positive impact on the domestic industry from a new administration is seen as limited at best. Seaborne thermal coal prices have also come off the boil, down more than 22% since the election.
 
Oil's resurgence is more an Opec than a Trump phenomenon, but the 13% jump over the past month retaking the $50 a barrel level is helping to bring price inflation across the mining and metals sector.
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Ford makes contingency plans in case of China year-end tax surprise www.reuters.com

 
Ford Motor Co (F.N) expects China to wait until the last possible moment to announce whether it will extend a tax cut on small engine cars set to expire at year's end and is making contingency plans for various outcomes, an executive said on Wednesday.
 
China's auto industry association, executives and analysts have warned of a potentially steep drop off in sales growth next year if the policy, which halves the purchase tax on cars with engines of 1.6 litres or below, expires as planned at the end of 2016.
 
A government official said in October that the country is considering extending the tax, originally instituted in late 2015 to stimulate the market as vehicle sales flat lined amid a weakening economy.
 
"If there is an announcement about a continuation, I would not be surprised if that announcement is made on literally the last day of year," Peter Fleet, Ford's head of sales and marketing for Asia Pacific, told Reuters in an interview.
 
In the face of such uncertainty, the U.S. automaker is planning for three different scenarios, he said: the tax cut expires, it is extended at a reduced rate, or continues in full.
 
"We're proceeding on the basis that the purchase tax incentive ends at the end of the year," Fleet said.
 
"We'll adjust our plans as quickly as we need to in the new year if there is a different set of assumptions."
 
Fundamental demand for cars will continue to be strong and the tax cut will only result in a marginal change in demand, he said, declining to give exact predictions for 2017 auto sales.
 
Ford is set to announce November sales results for China at later on Wednesday.
 
The tax cut spurred a strong rebound in the world's largest auto market this year with sales for January to October growing 13.8 percent compared with the same period a year earlier, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.
 
Analysts predict flat or negative growth in 2017 if the tax cut expires as planned.
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Japanese and Mongolian decision makers showing up in "Invest Mongolia Tokyo" conference www.mongolia.gogo.mn

 
The conference highlights the Japan-Mongolia Economic Partnership Agreement and the strengthening of the strategic partnership between Mongolia and Japan.
This year, the new Mongolian Government introduces its action plan for the next four years with particular focus on those industries in which Japanese investors have an active interest and the areas that provide the most benefit to the two countries.
Panels:
The outlook of relations between Japan and Mongolia
The current condition of the Mongolian economy and what will be the key drivers for any recovery
The outlook for Mongolia’s mineral exports and implications for Japanese investors
Government Hour: Parliament Members to discuss current issues regarding Mongolia and relations with Japan
Privatization and opportunities in Mongolia
Green Infrastructure
The proposal to the Mongolian Government from Japan
Presentations:
Legal Aspects of Doing Business in Mongolia
General update on the construction and real estate sector in Mongolia
Japanese International Cooperation Agency's operations for the further development of Mongolia
Within the above mentioned items, the conference will also discuss topical matters such as the impact of Oyu Tolgoi underground mine on the economy, the looming 2017 government bond repayment, the economic and political priorities in 2017 for Japan and Mongolia.
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Amazon using robots at distribution center www3.nhk.or.jp

 
Leading Internet retailer Amazon has started operating Japan's first distribution center equipped with robots.
 
Amazon built the distribution center in Kawasaki, near Tokyo, to improve its delivery system in the metropolitan area. The center covers about 40,000 square meters.
 
Several hundred robots move shelves, where goods are stored, to workers who sort them for delivery.
The workers no longer need to walk to the shelves, so the robots are believed to greatly improve work efficiency.
 
Amazon Japan CEO Jeff Hayashida says the robots will help the Internet retailer expand and speed up its services.
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Rio Tinto boss insists Mongolia dispute is 'bump in the road' www.telegraph.co.uk

The boss of FTSE 100 mining group Rio Tinto has insisted a dispute with China over copper exports from Mongolia will be resolved shortly.

Jean-Sebastian Jacques, the French executive who was promoted to the top job in July, said the Anglo Australian miner was used to working with the authorities in the region and hoped to resume exports soon.

Last week Rio’s subsidiary in Mongolia was forced to suspend copper shipments from its vast Oyu Tolgoi mine after Chinese authorities closed a border crossing and ordered copper to be shipped via a different route. The miner expressed concerns that queuing trucks were being made to wait in sub-zero temperatures.

China’s action was thought to be due to its displeasure at a visit to Mongolia by the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader who is not recognised by Chinese authorities.

Mr Jacques, who shepherded Oyu Tolgoi into production in his previous role as head of copper, said the miner was used to such “bumps in the road”. “Each time we would work with the authorities and each time it was resolved. I’ve no doubt it will be resolved this time,” he said.

The mine is a flagship project for Rio Tinto, which earlier this year approved a $5.3bn (£4.2bn) expansion to tap deeper levels of the deposit. Nearly all of Oyu Tolgo’s output is sent south to China, the world’s biggest consumer of metals.

The flare-up in Mongolia is the merely the latest headache for the Rio boss, who is contending with two separate regulatory probes into the mining giant’s past activities. Three regulators, including the UK’s Serious Fraud Office, are looking at a £10.5m payment made to help secure an iron ore deposit in Guinea, while US authorities are investigating a $3bn writedown on a mine in Mozambique.

Mr Jacques, speaking ahead of a presentation to analysts in London, said the Guinea probe was a “challenging story” but insisted: “I take integrity and code of conduct very seriously. Where we operate, we must do the right thing.”

Rio Tinto is targeting a $5bn boost in free cashflow over the next five years as it looks to wring more out of its assets.

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Japan provides grant to overhaul school and kindergarten buildings www.mongolia.gogo.mn

 
Two secondary school buildings and one kindergarten building are to overhaul due to implementation of "Grass root - Human Security Project" (GGP) by Government of Japan.
School buildings and school dormitories of Khongor soum, Darkhan-Uul aimag, Tudevtei soum, Zavkhan aimag and kindergarten building of Saintsagaan soum, Dundgobi aimag will be overhauled by grant with worth of $ 206.498 (MNT 453 million 595 thousand 842).
Takenori Shimizu, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary from Japan to Mongolia and affiliated aimag governors signed the project.
"Upon my completion as Ambassador of Japan to Mongolia, I am very pleased that my final duty is to sign one of GGP. I have tried my best to implement GGP throughout Mongolia since 1990. Currently, GGP have successfully implemented in all aimags and 208 soums out of total 332 soums. We have started GGP with the aim to solve issues faced by residents especially in education and health sectors. Today I signed the 503th project.
I would like to express my gratitude to all Mongolians. Mongolia has a lot of potential to develop. However, the country needs a good policy to move forward and improve people`s life. I told officials that economy will be recovered after three years, if the country can manage its all resources properly. Thus, I hope for Mongolia`s bright future", said Ambassador T.Shimizu.
During his tenure, Ambassador T.Shimizu had brought many investment and loans to Mongolia, including US$ 700 million soft loan to construct the New Ulaanbaatar International Airport (NUBIA), US$ 80 million aid to build a hospital under University of Medical Sciences and US$ 50 million soft loan to study 1000 Mongolian engineers in Japan.
Overhaul at school and kindergarten buildings is scheduled to commence in upcoming spring and will finish before Sep, 2017.
The Government of Japan had launched GGP since 1989 to support multilateral needs of developing countries and it funds to small projects which is implemented by local government, education and health sector through the Embassy of Japan.
After GGP had launched in Mongolia since 1990, it had aided to every aimags of Mongolia. Mongolia had been emphasizing educational sector. Thus, over 60% of implemented projects were funded to expansion and repair projects of secondary schools and kindergartens.
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General Motors takes hit to chase e-car boom www.chinadaily.com.cn

 
General Motors Co stands to lose as much as $9,000 on its electric subcompact Chevrolet Bolt. Sounds crazy, but it makes perfect business sense under the no pain, no gain policy driving the electric-vehicle boom in the US.
 
California crafted the doctrine, with tough clean-air rules and a mandate that automakers sell some nonpolluting vehicles if they want to do business in the state, and nine others have adopted it, including New York and New Jersey.
 
The states' rules are set to tighten so that zero-emission vehicles, or ZEVs, will have to increase by an estimated 15.4 percent of sales by 2025, some five times the current level.
 
The hurdles may go even higher in California, where greenhouse-gas emissions are required to be 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030. To get there, ZEVs, plug-in hybrids or fuel-cell cars may have to comprise 40 percent of sales, up from about 3 percent now, according to the California Air Resources Board staff projections.
 
"The idea that automakers will sell 40 percent of their vehicles at a loss in California is ludicrous," said Eric Noble, president of CarLab, a California-based consulting company, who reckons most electric cars lose at least $10,000 per sale.
 
The industry's willing to take the hit on a small scale now. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV's battery-powered Fiat 500e is made for California alone, and Chief Executive Officer Sergio Marchionne said in 2014 that it was losing $14,000 per sale.
 
The industry might figure out how to make zero-emission cars into money makers once the charging-station infrastructure is built up and battery costs fall. Global demand seems sure to rise, with major economies, including China, having recognized climate change as a threat and emissions from gas-powered autos a chief contributor.
 
The US has a zero-emission vehicle incentive, offering a $7,500 tax credit to buyers, and also gives credits to manufacturers to reward them for cars that meet the greenhouse-gas reduction targets set by the Obama administration.
 
On Wednesday, the US Environmental Protection Agency took a formal step to make it harder for President-elect Donald Trump to undo Obama's targets. EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy announced a preliminary determination that Obama's 2025 targets are achievable, affordable and appropriate.
 
Whatever happens in the national capital, California will be where the power is for years to come. The bill that established its greenhouse-gas targets was championed by then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
 
Under the rules, GM needs to sell enough Bolts so that it can sell other vehicles, including pickups and SUVs. The Bolt's anticipated per-sale loss of roughly $8,000 to $9,000 is an estimate based on a sticker price of $37,500, according to a person familiar with the matter.
 
Here's how the math works for GM in California: Let's say it sells a total of 219,962 vehicles in one model year (as it did, in fact, in 2015). To avoid heavy fines or the threat of getting shut out entirely, it would need state-awarded ZEV credits equal to 14 percent of the total-or 30,794. That would mean finding buyers for 7,698 Bolts, earning four credits for each, or 10,082 Chevy Volt plug-in hybrids or a combination of the two.
 
"Electric vehicles are compliance vehicles and GM knows this," said the CarLab's Noble. "The Bolt will take sales from all of the other vehicles on the market, and GM will get a lot of credits."
 
The more ZEVs a company peddles to the public, the more credits it earns, and those with a surplus can sell them to competitors that are falling behind. Tesla has been able to really tap the program. In the third quarter, it made $139 million by selling credits, which helped Tesla hit its second-ever quarterly profit on a GAAP basis.
 
The US is one-fifth of the global car market, and groups ready to go to battle over emissions like to offer an argument beyond the threats of smog and global warming. California's policies are forcing companies to be innovative, said Luke Tonachel, a senior analyst for the Natural Resources Defense Council. If they stop, "US manufacturers could lose market share."
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