1 MONGOLIA PM FACES LIKELY CONFIDENCE VOTE AMID CORRUPTION CLAIMS WWW.AFP.COM PUBLISHED:2025/06/02      2 RIO TINTO FINDS ITS MEGA-MINE STUCK BETWEEN TWO MONGOLIAN STRONGMEN WWW.AFR.COM PUBLISHED:2025/06/02      3 SECRETARY RUBIO’S CALL WITH MONGOLIAN FOREIGN MINISTER BATTSETSEG, MAY 30, 2025 WWW.MN.USEMBASSY.GOV  PUBLISHED:2025/06/02      4 REGULAR TRAIN RIDES ON THE ULAANBAATAR-BEIJING RAILWAY ROUTE TO BE RESUMED WWW.MONTSAME.MN PUBLISHED:2025/06/02      5 MONGOLIAN DANCE TEAMS WIN THREE GOLD MEDALS AT THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP CHOREOGRAPHY LATIN 2025 WWW.MONTSAME.MN  PUBLISHED:2025/06/02      6 RUSSIA STARTS BUYING POTATOES FROM MONGOLIA WWW.CHARTER97.ORG PUBLISHED:2025/06/02      7 MONGOLIA BANS ONLINE GAMBLING, BETTING AND PAID LOTTERIES WWW.QAZINFORM.COM PUBLISHED:2025/06/02      8 HOW DISMANTLING THE US MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORPORATION WILL UNDERMINE MONGOLIA WWW.THEDIPLOMAT.COM PUBLISHED:2025/05/30      9 ORBMINCO ADVANCES BRONZE FOX PROJECT IN KINCORA COPPER PROJECT IN MONGOLIA WWW.DISCOVERYALERT.COM.AU PUBLISHED:2025/05/30      10 MONGOLIA SOLAR ENERGY SECTOR GROWTH: 1,000 MW BY 2025 SUCCESS WWW.PVKNOWHOW.COM PUBLISHED:2025/05/30      ЕРӨНХИЙЛӨГЧ У.ХҮРЭЛСҮХ, С.БЕРДЫМУХАМЕДОВ НАР АЛБАН ЁСНЫ ХЭЛЭЛЦЭЭ ХИЙЛЭЭ WWW.MONTSAME.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/06/02     Н.НОМТОЙБАЯР: ДАРААГИЙН ЕРӨНХИЙ САЙД ТОДРОХ НЬ ЦАГ ХУГАЦААНЫ АСУУДАЛ БОЛСОН WWW.ITOIM.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/06/02     Л.ТӨР-ОД МҮХАҮТ-ЫН ГҮЙЦЭТГЭХ ЗАХИРЛААР Х.БАТТУЛГЫН ХҮНИЙГ ЗҮТГҮҮЛЭХ ҮҮ WWW.EGUUR.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/06/02     ЦЕГ: ЗУНЫ ЗУГАА ТОГЛОЛТЫН ҮЕЭР 10 ХУТГА ХУРААЖ, СОГТУУРСАН 22 ИРГЭНИЙГ АР ГЭРТ НЬ ХҮЛЭЭЛГЭН ӨГСӨН WWW.EGUUR.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/06/02     УУЛ УУРХАЙН ТЭЭВЭРЛЭЛТИЙГ БҮРЭН ЗОГСООЖ, ШАЛГАНА WWW.EGUUR.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/06/02     ГАДНЫ КИБЕР ХАЛДЛАГЫН 11 ХУВЬ НЬ УИХ, 70 ХУВЬ НЬ ЗАСГИЙН ГАЗАР РУУ ЧИГЛЭДЭГ WWW.ZINDAA.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/06/02     НИЙТИЙН ОРОН СУУЦНЫ 1 М.КВ-ЫН ДУНДАЖ ҮНЭ 3.6 САЯ ТӨГРӨГ БАЙНА WWW.MONTSAME.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/06/02     ГОВИЙН БҮСИЙН ЧИГЛЭЛД УУЛ УУРХАЙН ТЭЭВЭРЛЭЛТИЙГ БҮРЭН ЗОГСООНО WWW.EAGLE.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/05/30     СОР17 УЛААНБААТАР ХОТНОО 2026 ОНЫ НАЙМДУГААР САРЫН 17-28-НД БОЛНО WWW.MONTSAME.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/05/30     НИЙСЛЭЛИЙН ТӨР, ЗАХИРГААНЫ БАЙГУУЛЛАГЫН АЖИЛ 07:00 ЦАГТ ЭХЭЛЖ 16:00 ЦАГТ ТАРНА WWW.EAGLE.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/05/30    

Category

Events

Events

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

NEWS

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Mongolia PM to Begin First Visit to US in 5 Years ww.voanews.com

STATE DEPARTMENT — Mongolian Prime Minister Oyun-Erdene Luvsannamsrai and Foreign Minister Battsetseg Batmunkh arrive in Washington on Tuesday to start their meetings with Vice President Kamala Harris, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other senior U.S. officials this week.
“@VP (Vice President Harris) looks forward to welcoming Prime Minister Oyun-Erdene of Mongolia to the White House on August 2. The visit will highlight the strength of the U.S.-Mongolia Strategic Partnership and our ongoing work to deepen political, economic, and cultural ties,” said Harris’ press secretary Kirsten Allen in a message posted to the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
This is the first official visit of a Mongolian prime minister to the United States since 2018.
The visit comes as the two countries are expanding cooperation on regional security and Mongolia’s deposits of rare earth minerals, which are crucial to the manufacture of high-tech items and renewable energy products, such as battery-powered electric vehicles.
In June, the U.S. and Mongolia signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to strengthen critical mineral supply chains in the Indo-Pacific.
Mongolia is a top global mineral supplier with 80 diverse deposits, including rare earth elements, copper, fluorite, gold, iron, and zinc. Rare earth element reserves in the country make up around 16 percent of the world's total.
Oyu Tolgoi, located in Mongolia's South Gobi region, is one of the largest known copper and gold deposits in the world.
“The U.S., along with many other countries, is eager to ensure a reliable supply of rare earth elements and other critical minerals for energy technologies, defense, and other uses,” said Tom LaTourrette, senior physical scientist of the RAND Corporation.
He suggested a good outcome from the visit would include an agreement between the countries for the U.S. government to move beyond “encouraging” private sector investment to incentivizing it financially, perhaps by including Mongolia as an eligible partner for the clean vehicle credit under the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act.
In May, Mongolia, South Korea and the United States addressed North Korea’s ongoing nuclear weapons development and numerous ballistic missile launches.
“It was the first trilateral meeting that we've had between our three democracies,” U.S. Ambassador to Mongolia Richard Buangan told VOA in a recent interview.
Mongolia is one of the few countries that maintain a close relationship historically with North Korea. Both nations have embassies in each other's capitals.
U.S. officials also told VOA that Mongolia, a landlocked country with 90% of its exports going through China, would benefit from diversifying its economy. Sandwiched in between Russia and the People's Republic of China, officials describe Mongolia as situated in “a geo-politically delicate position.”
Political leaders in Mongolia’s capital, Ulaanbaatar, “very much are following events in Russia,” said Buangan. “We obviously hope that they can continue to play a more constructive role as we seek an end to this conflict [in Ukraine] which Russia has started.”
Driven by a strong desire to maintain stable ties with Russia, Mongolia has opted for “neutrality” and has abstained from United Nations General Assembly resolutions that condemn Russia’s invasion in Ukraine.
The Mongolian delegation’s visit to Washington will focus on meetings with senior U.S. officials as the Congress is in August recess. Prime Minister Luvsannamsrai has no plan to make public remarks at Washington-based think tanks this week, according to diplomats.
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U.S. quest for minerals leads to a remote nation surrounded by adversaries www.politico.com

A global charm offensive to secure the key minerals needed to replace fossil fuels has drawn U.S. diplomats to a country surrounded by America’s leading adversaries.
Mongolia — nicknamed “Minegolia” by some academics due to its abundant reserves of copper, gold and coal — hosted a handful of American officials on a mission in June to ease the United States’ dependence on China for the natural resources at the heart of several clean energy technologies.
The trip, the second for a senior State Department official this year, sheds light on U.S. efforts to forge pacts with countries that could supply American manufacturers ramping up their industrial production of solar and wind farms, and millions of electric vehicles.
“Mongolia is facing a generational opportunity. And that generational opportunity is a need for us to find critical minerals and rare earths in order to achieve our clean energy goals,” Jose Fernandez, undersecretary of State for economic growth, energy and the environment, who led the overseas trip, said in an interview with POLITICO’s E&E News.
China dominates the global flow of raw or processed minerals, and American officials say the U.S. strategy is meant to diversify supply chains that feed materials and components to the growing number of domestic companies that are manufacturing low-carbon products.
That effort gained urgency after U.S. relations with Beijing abruptly deteriorated a year ago, raising concerns that China could restrict access to minerals as the United States races to exponentially increase production of renewable energy and electric vehicles. It also provides some insight into the Biden administration’s sales pitch: that the United States will give countries a better deal for their resources and do it while hewing to environmental, social and corporate governance principles.
“What we offer is a way for them to do so responsibly, in a way that observes and adheres to ESG principles and that benefits the community,” Fernandez said.
That’s appealing to resource-rich, but financially poor, countries that want to reap the benefits of the current mineral rush to grow their economies. It’s particularly important to Mongolia, which is experiencing major impacts from climate change and faces local opposition to mining projects.
But the United States is in an uphill battle.
It has to convince countries that American companies won’t squeeze their lands and people for resources, and then leave them with an environmental mess. And it wants to encourage them to support regulations that attract private investment, officials say. Tensions around logistics and geopolitics are also at play. In Mongolia, there are no overland routes out of the country that don’t touch China or Russia.
Yet if the United States fails to find new mineral sources, its climate goals are at risk.
Turning over every stone
The International Energy Agency estimates that demand for critical minerals will surge over the next two decades if renewables are ramped up fast enough to meet the goals of the Paris climate agreement.
For lithium, demand is expected to grow 40-fold, followed by graphite and cobalt — all of which are needed to make electric cars. Demand for copper, which Mongolia has in abundance and is used in solar and wind technologies, could rise by more than 40 percent.
“Within a decade, shortages of critical minerals such as lithium, graphite and copper will increase prices and slow the deployment of clean energy technologies,” Fernandez said at an event hosted recently by the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
That coming crunch has put the Biden administration into overdrive. American officials have contacted mineral-producing allies as well as frontier nations like Mongolia to secure raw materials.
Fernandez said Mongolia is an example of what the United States hopes to achieve through the Minerals Security Partnership, an initiative with 14 mostly Western countries to bolster sustainable investment in the mining, processing and recycling of critical minerals. It includes Australia, Canada, Japan, South Korea, India and several European nations. It puts an emphasis on the private sector and works to ease the risk for businesses through diplomatic support and government-backed financing mechanisms like the Export-Import Bank of the United States.
Earlier this year, the partnership announced a set of principles for participating companies and governments that emphasizes transparency, ethical business operations, environmental protection and support to local economies.
Mongolia is just one potential source of raw materials. In the past year, Fernandez has also traveled to South Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Mexico. And in May, he held virtual talks with officials in Argentina to discuss critical minerals projects.
Where Mongolia fits on the priority list isn’t clear. It produces 1.4 percent of the world’s copper and 1 percent of its molybdenum, an element mixed into steel alloys used for solar panels and wind technology, according to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), a global standard for good governance of oil, gas and minerals.
But much of its mineral wealth remains untapped.
In a troubled neighborhood
Mongolia is one of the most sparsely populated countries on the planet.
Under the feet of its nomadic herders, a potential wealth of minerals has yet to be fully discovered. But large-scale mining projects have faced barriers because of concerns about environmental degradation on the Mongolian steppes, where its people are culturally entwined with the landscape.
Climate change is already leading to more frequent drought and dust storms in Mongolia, and its capital, Ulaanbaatar, suffers from some of the world’s worst air pollution due to the extensive use of coal.
Encompassed by Russia to the north and China to the south, Mongolia has sought to lessen the grip of its neighbors by engaging with countries such as the United States, France and Australia. France reportedly struck a deal to source minerals, including uranium, from Mongolia during a visit in May by French President Emmanuel Macron.
“Mongolia is very keen to maintain economic relationships with countries other than Russia and China in order to keep their hand and their political and economic interests balanced,” said Piper Campbell, who served as U.S. ambassador to Mongolia in the Obama administration.
It’s a delicate balancing act. Roughly a quarter of Mongolia’s economy depends on mining, and nearly 90 percent of its export revenue comes from minerals — most of which go to China, either for processing or to pass through its ports.
“If the Chinese say, ‘We’ll stop buying coal and copper from you,’ Mongolia’s economy stops,” said Amar Adiya, a former Mongolian diplomat who runs Mongolia Weekly, a newsletter for investors.
In the future, some of the minerals could be loaded onto planes and flown out, experts say. But many of those materials would first need to be processed into less bulky products. That would require new investments to build processing facilities — a notoriously polluting business that could spark local resistance.
Some of the minerals could potentially go to South Korea, where they could be processed and exported to the United States and its allies. Fernandez’s visit to Mongolia included a first-ever trilateral meeting with Korea about collaborating on critical mineral supply chains.
For now, American outreach to Mongolia seems to be as focused on maintaining an ally in a region of the world that’s difficult to navigate for Western nations as a full-fledged effort to create the conditions to procure minerals, according to experts.
“Mongolia is clearly geostrategically important given its location between Russia and China, and as a bulwark of democracy and in a somewhat troubled region of the world,” said Campbell, the former ambassador.
The United States is already providing Mongolia with technical assistance to map resources and improve the transparency of the tendering process, Fernandez said. The next step could be to help implement a project.
The Minerals Security Partnership is currently vetting 15 projects on several continents that it could eventually support through a combination of finance, political backing or technical support. That’s down from close to 200 projects just nine months ago, Fernandez said.
He wouldn’t reveal where they are, saying companies want that information kept confidential to protect potential investments. He hopes to be able to announce a project by the end of the year and then “start moving the needle.”
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Mongolia issues severe weather warning www.xinhuanet.com

Mongolia's National Agency for Meteorology and Environmental Monitoring on Monday issued a warning of intense heatwaves, torrential rains and flash floods.
The agency said air temperatures are now exceeding 30 degrees Celsius in large parts of Mongolia, especially in the eastern steppe and southern Gobi provinces, warning the public to avoid heatstroke.
Starting from Monday night, floods caused by torrential rains are expected to hit some parts of the country, including Govi-Altai and Zavkhan provinces in the west and Khuvsgul in the north, the weather agency said, urging tourists and residents living near rivers and lakes to take precautions.
The extreme weather conditions are expected to continue across the country until the end of the week.
 
 
 
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Will you be mine, Minegolia? www.politico.com

Mongolia, shoehorned between China and Russia, could be a powerhouse supplier of critical minerals for U.S. clean energy projects.
That was one pitch from American officials during a recent visit.
The other sales pitch: The U.S. can give Mongolia a better deal than China or Russia.
Grasslands once trammeled by Genghis Khan’s riders are rich in copper and other minerals needed for large-scale wind and solar power and for bringing millions of electric cars to market.
Senior U.S. officials went to Mongolia last month to forge business and government ties and to ensure ethical standards are established for mining projects. The need to ease global reliance on China for critical minerals looms large over talks with Mongolia and other resource-rich countries, writes Sara Schonhardt.
“Mongolia is facing a generational opportunity, and that generational opportunity is a need for us to find critical minerals and rare earths in order to achieve our clean energy goals,” Jose Fernandez, undersecretary of State for economic growth, energy and the environment, told E&E News.
China dominates the flow of raw and processed minerals that feed the world’s exploding demand for clean energy technology. The U.S. wants to rebuild and diversify the supply chain.
The United States is part of the Minerals Security Partnership — a coalition of mostly Western countries, including Canada, Australia and South Korea, working to secure minerals as demand for batteries and other energy technology ratchets up.
But the initiative isn’t without its critics.
Republicans accuse the White House of overlooking human rights abuses in Congo and other resource-rich developing nations, even as the Biden administration has restricted proposed U.S.-based mines.
What does it all mean for Mongolia — once nicknamed “Minegolia” because of its abundant natural resources?
Communist China extends nearly 3,000 miles along Mongolia’s southern border, controlling access to the global market by land and sea. Strengthening ties to the U.S. and its allies could have repercussions for Mongolia’s well-established trade relationship with China, where most of its copper and coal currently go.
For the West, Mongolia is just one piece of a complex diplomatic puzzle the U.S. and its allies are piecing together to counter China and unlock new sources of minerals.
BY: HEATHER RICHARDS
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U.S. Looks to Mongolia, Wedged between China and Russia, for Critical Minerals www.scientificamerican.com

The U.S. is waging a global charm offensive to obtain the minerals it needs to replace fossil fuels with cleaner energy. Its latest target is a resource-rich country wedged between China and Russia, two U.S. adversaries.
Mongolia — once nicknamed “Minegolia” because of its abundant reserves of copper, gold, coal and rare earths — was visited last month by senior American officials who are trying to unlock new sources of minerals to ease the United States’ dependence on China, the global hub for clean energy technologies.
The trip sheds light on U.S. efforts to forge pacts with countries whose deserts, hillsides and valleys contain minerals that American manufacturers will need to build machinery for industrial solar and wind farms, and millions of electric vehicles.
China dominates the global flow of raw or processed minerals, and American officials say the U.S. strategy is meant to diversify supply chains that feed materials and components to the growing number of domestic companies that are manufacturing low-carbon products.
That effort gained urgency after U.S. relations with Beijing abruptly deteriorated a year ago, raising concerns that China could restrict access to minerals as the U.S. races to exponentially increase production of renewable energy and electric vehicles.
At the center of the Biden administration’s strategy is a sales pitch: The U.S. will give countries a better deal for their resources, officials say.
“Mongolia is facing a generational opportunity. And that generational opportunity is a need for us to find critical minerals and rare earths in order to achieve our clean energy goals,” Jose Fernandez, undersecretary of State for economic growth, energy and the environment, said in an interview with E&E News. “What we offer is a way for them to do so responsibly, in a way that observes and adheres to ESG principles and that benefits the community.”
That’s appealing to resource-rich, but financially poor, countries that want to reap the benefits of the current mineral rush to grow their economies. It’s particularly important to Mongolia, which is experiencing major impacts from climate change and faces local opposition to mining projects.
But the U.S. is in an uphill battle.
It has to convince countries that American companies won’t squeeze their lands and people for resources, and then leave them with an environmental mess. And it wants to encourage them to support regulations that attract private investment, officials say. Tensions around logistics and geopolitics are also at play. In Mongolia, there are no overland routes out of the country that don’t touch China or Russia.
Yet, if the U.S. fails to find new mineral sources, its climate goals are at risk.
The International Energy Agency estimates that demand for critical minerals will surge over the next two decades if renewables are ramped up fast enough to meet the goals of the Paris climate agreement.
For lithium, demand is expected to grow fourtyfold, followed by graphite and cobalt — all of which are needed to make electric cars. Demand for copper, which Mongolia has in abundance and is used in solar and wind technologies, could rise by more than 40 percent.
“Within a decade, shortages of critical minerals such as lithium, graphite and copper will increase prices and slow the deployment of clean energy technologies,” Fernandez said at an event hosted recently by the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
That coming crunch has put the Biden administration into overdrive. American officials have contacted mineral producing allies as well as frontier nations like Mongolia to secure raw materials.
Fernandez said Mongolia is an example of what the U.S. hopes to achieve through the Minerals Security Partnership, an initiative with 14 mostly Western countries to bolster sustainable investment in the mining, processing and recycling of critical minerals. It includes Australia, Canada, Japan, South Korea, India and several European nations.
It puts an emphasis on the private sector and works to ease the risk for businesses through diplomatic support and government-backed financing mechanisms like the U.S. Export-Import Bank. Earlier this year, the partnership announced a set of principles for participating companies and governments that emphasize transparency, ethical business operations, environmental protection and support to local economies.
Mongolia is just one potential source of raw materials. In the past year, Fernandez has also traveled to South Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Mexico. And in May he held virtual talks with officials in Argentina to discuss critical minerals projects.
Where Mongolia fits on the priority list isn’t clear. It produces 1.4 percent of the world’s copper and 1 percent of its molybdenum, a mineral in steel alloys used for solar panels and wind technology, according to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), a global standard for good governance of oil, gas and minerals.
But much of its mineral wealth remains untapped.
IN A TROUBLED NEIGHBORHOOD
Mongolia is one of the most sparsely populated countries on the planet. Under the feet of its nomadic herders, a potential wealth of minerals has yet to be fully discovered.
But large-scale mining projects have faced barriers from concerns about environmental degradation on the Mongolian steppes, where its people are culturally entwined with the landscape.
Climate change is already leading to more frequent drought and dust storms in Mongolia, and its capital, Ulaanbaatar, suffers from some of the world’s worst air pollution due to the extensive use of coal.
Almost totally encompassed by Russia to the north and China to the south, Mongolia has sought to lessen the grip of its neighbors by engaging with countries such as the U.S., France and Australia. France reportedly struck a deal to source minerals, including uranium, from Mongolia during a visit in May by French President Emmanuel Macron.
“Mongolia is very keen to maintain economic relationships with countries other than Russia and China in order to keep their hand and their political and economic interests balanced,” said Piper Campbell, who served as U.S. ambassador to Mongolia in the Obama administration.
It’s a delicate balancing act.
Roughly a quarter of Mongolia’s economy depends on mining and nearly 90 percent of its export revenue comes from minerals — most of which go to China, either for processing or to pass through its ports
“If the Chinese say ‘We’ll stop buying coal and copper from you,’ Mongolia’s economy stops,” said Amar Adiya, a former Mongolian diplomat who runs Mongolia Weekly, a newsletter for investors.
In the future, some of the minerals could be loaded onto planes and flown out, experts say. But many of those materials would first need to be processed into less bulky products. That would require new investments to build processing facilities — a notoriously polluting business that could spark local resistance.
Some of the minerals could potentially go to South Korea, where they could be processed and exported to the U.S. and its allies. Fernandez’s visit to Mongolia included a first-ever trilateral meeting with Korea about collaborating on critical mineral supply chains.
For now, American outreach to Mongolia seems to be as focused on maintaining an ally in a region of the world that’s difficult to navigate for Western nations as a full-fledged effort to create the conditions to procure minerals, according to experts.
“Mongolia is clearly geostrategically important given its location between Russia and China, and as a bulwark of democracy and in a somewhat troubled region of the world,” said Campbell, the former ambassador.
The U.S. is already providing Mongolia with technical assistance to map resources and improve the transparency of the tendering process, Fernandez said. The next step could be to help implement a project.
The Mineral Security Partnership is currently vetting 15 projects on several continents that it could eventually support through a combination of finance, political backing or technical support.
That’s down from close to 200 projects just nine months ago, Fernandez said.
He wouldn’t reveal where they are, saying companies want that information kept confidential to protect potential investments. He hopes to be able to announce a project by the end of the year and then “start moving the needle.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR(S)
Sara Schonhardt covers climate and energy developments globally, with a focus on international climate negotiations, finance and how countries are approaching the transition to cleaner economies. Prior to joining E&E News, Sara worked as a reporter for more than a decade across much of Southeast Asia, with stints for The New York Times, Christian Science Monitor and Voice of America. She was a staff reporter for The Wall Street Journal in Indonesia until 2017. Sara has a degree in journalism from Ohio University and a master's degree in international affairs from Columbia University.
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Mongolia rolls out red carpet for investors, but walkway still rocky www.mongoliaweekly.org

Mongolia put on its Sunday best to woo investors at the high-profile Mongolia Economic Forum held on July 9-11, 2023 - but it will take more than a flashy event to overcome lingering challenges to doing business in the country.
The big picture: The government is hungry for foreign investment to fund economic development and reduce dependence on mining. But regulatory uncertainty and inconsistent rule of law have long stifled investors' appetite.
Driving the news: Officials pulled out all the stops at the July forum to highlight Mongolia's potential. They trumpeted forecasts of 6% GDP growth in 2023 and announced new agencies to attract investment.
International executives were promised a more welcoming business environment, with the new Mongolia Investment and Trade Agency acting as a "one-stop shop."
Between the lines: The government's sales pitch only goes so far without meaningful improvement of the on-the-ground realities investors face.
Frequent changes to investment laws and opaque approval processes continue to deter capital inflows.
The Heritage Foundation's 2023 Index of Economic Freedom ranked Mongolia at only 120th worldwide for investment freedom, citing "weak institutional capacity."
Mongolia's global standing in the World Bank's Ease of Doing Business rankings stagnated over the past decade while Asian competitors zoomed ahead.
Yes, but: It's not all talk. Mongolia has notched some incremental wins that could pay dividends.
New initiatives like streamlined business registration and investment promotion agencies are steps in the right direction.
Compliance with international anti-money laundering standards helps boost investor confidence on regulatory quality.
Bottom line: The government's slick packaging shows savvy in courting capital. But to truly unlock Mongolia's potential, officials must go beyond PR and enact deeper reforms.
Lip service to welcoming business rings hollow without stable laws, incentives and institutions that align with global best practices.
For the Economic Forum fanfare to translate into real investment, Mongolia needs sustained commitment to improving its climate for outside capital.
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Erdene Resource drills 0.96 g/t gold over 10 metres at Bayan Khundii, Mongolia www.resourceworld.com

Erdene Resource Development Corp. [ERD-TSX; ERDCF-OTC; ERDN-MSE] reported results of recent exploration at the Dark Horse gold prospect, part of the greater Bayan Khundii gold project. The Dark Horse gold prospect is located approximately 2 km north of the planned Bayan Khundii (BK) open pit in the Khundii minerals district, in southwest Mongolia.
“Since discovery in early 2021, Erdene has defined a 1.5-km mineralized trend at the Dark Horse Mane, including the very-high-grade Dark Horse Mane South deposit at the Bayan Khundii gold project,” said Peter Akerley, president and CEO. “Results from the most recent exploration work open up several new targets for follow up in the 20 km2 greater Dark Horse prospect area that show potential to host high-grade gold mineralization.
“Located just 2 km north of the initial Bayan Khundii open pit, ore from Dark Horse Mane will be incorporated into the feasibility study update, expected to be announced in the coming weeks,” continued Akerley. “Growing resources at Dark Horse will strengthen the already strong economics of the Bayan Khundii gold project.”
Erdene recently completed a shallow drilling and geophysical exploration program across the greater Dark Horse prospect at the Bayan Khundii gold project. The program included an 18-hole scout exploration drilling campaign, totalling 1,040 metres, and a gradient array induced polarization (IP) geophysical survey covering 9 km2 over the core of the greater Dark Horse prospect. The program was primarily designed to test for near-surface oxide-related gold mineralization, similar to the Dark Horse Mane deposit, and to identify targets for follow-up deeper drilling.
The program identified multiple areas of near-surface gold and indicator element anomalism, with 12 holes intersecting anomalous gold (greater than 0.1 g/t gold and up to 5.8 g/t gold) and 16 holes returning indicator element mineralization locally over wide intervals up to 55 metres.
Gold, together with antimony, arsenic and molybdenum geochemical anomalies, are characteristic of the Dark Horse deposit, and were instrumental in the initial discovery of high-grade, near-surface gold mineralization at the Dark Horse Mane. These results suggest gold mineralized hydrothermal fluids, carrying gold and other related elements, affect a wide zone within the greater Dark Horse area.
Highlights: Hole AAD-222 returned 6 mettres of 1.44 g/t gold and 1 metre of 0.41 g/t gold and 1 metre of 0.71 g/t gold. AAD-226 returned 8 metres of- 1.03 g/t gold, including 1 metre of 5.17 g/t gold. Aad-235 returned 10 metres f 0.96 g/t gold, including 1 metre of 5.81 g/t gold.
Erdene Resource Development has interests in three mining licenses and an exploration license in southwest Mongolia, where exploration success has led to the discovery and definition of the Khundii Minerals District.
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Former Sumo Wrestler Tantalizes Tokyo with Traditional Mongolian Cuisine www.tokyoupdates.metro.tokyo.lg.jp

Ariunbayar Unurjargal, more commonly known as professional sumo wrestler Hakuba Takeshi, retired from his career in the spotlight in 2011. Still in Ryogoku, Tokyo's sumo district, he now shares his Mongolian heritage through food at his restaurant
He is known in Japan as Hakuba, meaning "white horse," a name given to him by his sumo stable and inspired by a symbol in nomadic culture in Mongolia.
Rise to Success in Sumo
Hakuba, originally from Töv, Mongolia, first came to Tokyo in 1998, after exchanging letters with a relative of his living in Japan. This relative introduced him to the sumo stable Michinoku, to which he was then officially invited.
Although Hakuba had not considered a career in sumo wrestling before the exchange with his relative, he had always been very interested in Japan. When the move to Japan finally came, it all felt "like a dream" and not once did he feel homesick.
Despite never having studied at a language school, he credits his fluency in Japanese to having lived with other Japanese boys in the stable. He settled into the neighborhood of Ryogoku as if he had always belonged. In Ryogoku, the community is close-knit, so he could rely on his kind and friendly neighbors if he had a problem. He was further impressed by Tokyo's public services, which are very well organized, "making the city an easy environment to live in."
During his sumo wrestling career he was promoted to komusubi in the fourth highest rank in sumo wrestling, and weighed on average 155 kilograms. He defeated two ozeki: Harumafuji—who later became a yokozuna—and Kotooshu. Ozeki is otherwise known as the champion rank and is the second highest rank in sumo, just below yokozuna. During his active career, he also made a triumphant return to Mongolia with other Mongolian sumo wrestlers for the Sumo Tournament, and was able to deepen exchanges between his home country and Japan through sumo.
Continuing the Family Business
Hakuba's mother moved to Japan while he was still a sumo wrestler, and independently opened her own restaurant, ULAAN BAATAR, in 2008. When he retired from wrestling in 2011, at the age of 28, he had no intention of becoming a chef. However, after seeing his mother struggle to keep her business going in her old age, he decided to take over, despite having little-to-no business experience.
With perseverance and determination learned from his sumo wrestling days, he embraced the challenge. When it comes to business, he believes that "patience is key," and that it is important to thoroughly research how to start a business.
Ryogoku: The Center of Sumo
Hakuba enjoys exchanging stories with travelers, teaching them more about his homeland. The walls of ULAAN BAATAR are adorned with treasures and ornaments from Mongolia and from his past. At the entrance, he sells Mongolian snacks and essential ingredients such as Mongolian sour cream.
Many of his customers have an interest in Mongolia, but equally as many are sumo fans, and he is an encyclopedia when it comes to sumo facts and history, especially in relation to the Ryogoku area. He still maintains good relations with most of his fellow sumo wrestlers and this is one of the reasons he remains close to Ryogoku, where the community is quite close-knit. Occasionally, his sumo friends, including famous wrestlers, stop by for a bite to eat.
Many retired sumo wrestlers open Chanko nabe restaurants in the Ryogoku area to serve the well-balanced, nutritious hot pot dish regularly eaten by wrestlers.
But for Hakuba, it was important to share his culture with the people of Tokyo through Mongolian cuisine. Of his customers, 99 percent have never had authentic Mongolian food before. In fact, there are very few Mongolian restaurants in Tokyo. Mongolian dishes are not heavily seasoned; instead, the simplicity of each dish allows the natural flavors of the ingredients to shine through. Often, succulent meats are the star of the show, especially mutton, a staple in Mongolia. He sources his flavorful meat from a butcher in Toshima City, Tokyo.
In his free time, he enjoys gourmet walks, exploring the Tokyo area to find new restaurants and flavors. His favorite food is rice, after all. Whether it is fried rice or a simple bowl of plain white rice, he simply cannot get enough, and according to him, "Japan has the most delicious rice in the world."
In the future, he hopes to expand ULAAN BAATAR by opening more restaurants serving Mongolian cuisine. One day, he plans to use all that he has learned from his cooking in Japan to create his own unique recipes.
Interview and writing by Laura Miyasaka
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Rio Tinto, Codelco join forces to find more copper in Chile www.mining.com

Chilean state copper company Codelco is partnering with Rio Tinto (ASX, LON: RIO) to explore the Australian miner’s recently acquired Agua de la Falda copper asset in the country’s north.
Rio Tinto had earlier in the day entered into a $45.6 million-agreement with Pan American Silver (TSX, NYSE: PAAS) for a 57.74% stake its Agua de la Falda (ADLF) unit, which holds the historical Jeronimo project in the Atacama region and several adjoining concessions.
Codelco, which has the remaining 42.26% in Agua de la Falda, said the company was incorporated into its portfolio in July 1996 with the focus of prospecting, exploring and mining gold and other precious minerals.
For this reason, ADLF’s mining holdings have not been the target of copper-focused exploration for more than 25 years, Codelco said.
Studies carried out by both Codelco and Rio Tinto, the world’s second-largest miner and one of the main owners of Escondida copper mine, indicate the area has the potential to hold significant copper deposits, which will be the new and main focus of ADLF moving forward.
“This is an unbeatable opportunity for two industry-leading mining companies to work together, leveraging the combined experiences, strengths and capabilities of each organization,” Codelco’s chairman Máximo Pacheco said in the statement.
He noted the company, the world’s largest copper miner, is not foreign to public-private partnerships, which have proven to be successful for the company and Chile for many years.
“We are convinced this modality is a viable alternative to promote new deposits, and complement the important portfolio of exploration and projects Codelco is developing,” Pacheco said.
Rio Tinto’s chief executive, Jakob Stausholm, said the company has long flagged copper as a strategic metal, which plays a fundamental role in the global energy transition.
“Finding better ways to provide the materials the world needs requires strategic alliances, and we are pleased to make our exploration capabilities, knowledge and technologies available to ADLF, together with Codelco’s valuable experience and significant local presence,” Stausholm said.
The partnership between Codelco and Rio Tinto will be based on an underground mining collaboration agreement reached in October 2022.
 
 
 
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Conference of International Architects for New Kharkhorum City www.montsame.mn

“Urban Vision”, Conference of International Architects for Kharkhorum City was held yesterday in Kharkhorin soum of Uvurkhangai aimag, jointly organized by the Ministry of Construction and Urban Development and the Administrative Office in Charge of the New Kharkhorum City Development.
The President of Mongolia Khurelsukh Ukhnaa issued a decree in December 2022 to restore the ancient capital of the Great Mongol Empire, Kharkhorum in Orkhon Valley, aimed at creating healthy and safe living conditions for citizens, improving accessibility to basic social services, decentralizing the population, ensuring a balanced development of the regions, and strengthening the valuable heritage of the state.
In accordance with the decree, the Government of Mongolia formed the Administrative Office in Charge of the New Kharkhorum City Development this March, and the Administrative Office has developed the concept of New Kharkhorum City development.
Architects, specialists, and academics from Mongolia, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Kazakhstan, Japan, and Israel participated in the conference and exchanged opinions on the concept of Kharkhorum city planning and the development trends of global cities.
New Kharkhorum city planning is based on the concept of being the center of Mongolia's government, administration, culture, tourism, health services, international relations, and high-tech industry. Kharkhorum city will cover Uvurkhangai and Arkhangai aimags, having a population of approximately 500,000 people and 50 percent of the residential area will be green space, while 70 percent will be areas for walking, cycling, and public transportation. According to the city development concept, the new city will be an economically independent, modern smart city with developed infrastructure, which uses surface water, recycles waste, reuses gray water, and uses various types of renewable energy.
The conference participants highly appreciated the concept developed by Mongolian specialists and experts, emphasizing the importance of creating an environmentally friendly and healthy environment, water and food supply, and population structure planning. The Administrative Office in Charge of the New Kharkhorum City Development is working to complete detailed engineering-geological and hydro-geological studies and topographical mapping of the city of Kharkhorum this year.
Further, it is planned to take the planned territory of Kharkhorum city for the special needs of the state and develop detailed studies and plans including the feasibility study and general development plan in stages.
 
 
 
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