A Mongolian-German project is investigating abandoned early modern military and monastic sites in central Mongolia, including how the ruins of these urban nodes continue to shape cultural memory within nomadic society. Initial excavations have revealed a previously unknown site type, interpreted as garrisons from the period of Manchu rule (AD 1636–1911).

Introduction

In Mongolia, cities have been an integral part of nomadic society for more than a millennium. Abandoned urban sites from various periods dot the land, inscribing memories of lost empires and alliances into the cultural landscape. The relationship between sedentary urban and mobile herder lifeways has constituted a key cultural, economic and political factor in one of Eurasia's major pastoralist formations (Bruun & Narangoa Reference Bruun and Narangoa2006). This history is most prominently present in the Orkhon Valley, which preserves traces of various urban centres that include Karakorum, the capital of the Mongol Empire in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries AD (Rogers et al. Reference Rogers, Erdenebat and Gallon2005). Much less is known about the period of the Qing Dynasty (1636–1911), when Mongolia had fallen under Manchu dominance. This is the era in which most modern Mongolian cities are rooted, but subsequent political developments led to the abandonment or destruction of many of these urban sites.

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At the last Cabinet session, a draft of the Cooperation Agreement in Aviation Search and Rescue between the governments of Mongolia and the Republic of Kazakhstan was discussed. The Cabinet members approved the draft and agreed to grant a signing right to the Minister of Road and Transport Development S. Byambatsogt.

The draft of the Cooperation Agreement on Aviation Search and Rescue between the Government of Mongolia and the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan has 13 articles. The agreement and its principles are basically about organizing the search and rescue activities in neighboring countries in accordance with the instructions and recommendations of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) for the search and rescue activities, determining their responsible search and rescue area in the border between neighboring areas and flight information regions, exchanging information on aircraft accidents in their respective regions and measures taken, and creating the legal framework for providing emergency assistance to any person involved in an accident, regardless of nationality, social status, and the circumstances in which the person was found.

According to the Civil Aviation Authority, the Cooperation Agreement is of high significance to initiate search and rescue operations for aircraft and people are in danger on the border between neighboring areas and flight information regions in a short time, to reduce risks of the loss of human lives and to mobilize the resources efficiently.

At the initiative of Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia B. Battsetseg, “Funding Program for Digital Solutions to Enhance Women Enterprise Recovery and Growth”, supported by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) and Women Enterprise Recovery Fund, is going to be implemented in Mongolia for the first time.

In connection with this funding program, the International Women's Federation of Commerce and Industry (IWFCI) in Mongolia held a press conference on February 3, 2023. Under the program, 3-4 successful applicants or teams will receive MNT 200 million. In other words, the best project proposals with innovative digital solutions submitted by the applicants or companies will be selected and entitled to receive up to USD 10 thousand in co-funding. However, the funding will vary depending on the type of solution, scope, and amount of the required investment.

O. Baigal, President of the IWFCI Mongolia, said, “Enterprises sending their project proposals to this program are not required to be led by women or have women employees. However, they must propose digital solutions to support women enterprises economically impacted by COVID-19 and to address their financial and other business requirements.” IWFCI is a non-profit, non-government, member-based organization. It was established with the purpose of supporting women entering the business and developing trade across the globe in 1992, in Melbourne, Australia, while IWFCI Mongolia was founded in 2017. As an organizing body of the program, IWFCI Mongolia will start accepting applications on February 6, 2023.

According to the preliminary results by the National Statistics Office of Mongolia in 2022, the total revenue of the general government budget was MNT 18.6 trillion, which increased by MNT 4.3 (30.0%) trillion compared to the previous year. The equilibrated revenue of the general government budget was MNT 17.2 trillion, which increased by MNT 4.5 (35.3%) trillion compared to the previous year.

The total expenditure and net lending were MNT 18.2 trillion in 2022, resulting in a deficit of MNT 979.3 billion, and decreased by MNT 1.9 (66.5%) trillion compared to the previous year. In December 2022, the total equilibrated revenue and grants of the general government budget were MNT 2.8 trillion, and increased by MNT 1.3 (91.9%) trillion compared to the previous month. The total expenditure and net lending were MNT 2.6 trillion, which increased by MNT 1.0 (65.8%) trillion compared to the previous months.

In 2022, tax revenue reached MNT 15.6 trillion, which increased by MNT 4.3 (37.8%) trillion compared to the previous year. This increase was mainly due to MNT 1.1 (38.1%) trillion increase in value added tax revenue, MNT 740.9 (32.4%) billion increase in social security contributions revenue, MNT 620.7 (18.7%) billion increase in income taxes revenue and MNT 1.4 (2.6 times) trillion increase in other taxes revenue compared to the previous year. In December 2022, tax revenue reached MNT 2.5 trillion, which increased by MNT 1.4 (2.3 times) trillion compared to the previous month.

The Chinese government will now have to pay more in order to purchase coal from Mongolia. The East Asian country has decided to stop selling its coal directly to Beijing, instead selling it through auctions.

Since China is about to lose its biggest coal supplier, the horror of last year’s power shortage re-emerges in the country. The Mongolian government also emphasised that it will use the border to sell its coal. The new price will incorporate the transportation cost between the coal mines and borders.

Mongolia’s call follows widespread protests in the country last year against deep-rooted corruption in the coal industry.

Earlier, the state-owned China Energy Investment Corp had placed an order to import coal from Australia, which is regarded as the world’s second-largest exporter of coal after Indonesia. However, since October 2020, China has banned coal imports from Australia in the wake of the Australian government’s call for a probe into the origins of Covid-19 outbreaks in Wuhan.

China experienced an unprecedented power crisis in September 2021. Power plants in the nation cut their output in the wake of a skyrocketing increase in regional coal prices. They argued that they were not able to earn any profits under the framework of Beijing’s electricity price cap.

Xi Jinping’s regime then created a task force to solve the issue. In addition to ordering coal mines in Shanxi province and the Inner Mongolia region to expand their output, the Chinese government also imported coal from Mongolia and Russia.

Later on, Mongolia replaced Australia as China’s biggest coal supplier in 2021. In 2022, Beijing imported 63.83 million tons of coal from Mongolia, which is equivalent to 40% of its supply. This was followed by Russia (33%) and Canada (12%). However, following severe public outcry in Mongolia last year against the misappropriation of funds from Erdenes-Tavantolgoi JSC, the nation’s biggest state-owned coal miner, by legislators and government officials, Khürelsükh’s regime has decided that Erdenes-tavantolgoi will suspend signing any sales contracts with buyers in China.

Mongolia’s decision will have adverse consequences on China, bringing into focus last year’s unprecedented power shortage in the nation. Beijing suffered its most severe energy crisis in decades in 2022 when more than half of its 31 provincial-level jurisdictions were forced to impose electricity rationing. President Xi Jinping vowed that his government will never allow such a grave episode like this to repeat again.

But the decision of the Mongolian government will have significant implications for the power sector of China since the East Asian country was its biggest supplier and it also banned imports from Australia. Therefore, China will have to incur huge costs or look for alternatives to avert a repeat of the coal crisis which struck last year.

by Pallak Kashyap

2 new COVID-19 cases were recorded in Mongolia in a day.

2 of them are contacts in Ulaanbaatar. No cases were registered in the regions.

Mongolia targets to put the 15-20 km railways between Shiveehuren-Ceke and Bichigt- Zhuengadabuqi ports into operation in July 2023 and is expected to deliver 250,000-300,000 tonnes of cargoes through the new lines by the end of the year, Mongolian media reported.

Mongolian government has assigned the task of negotiating with the Chinese side to make a detailed agreement on the technical conditions and construction of the cross-border railway to Mongolian Railway.

The rail company is preparing for negotiations in February, media reported.

The construction work continues to intensifying. Chinese side needs to build 800 meters of railway to Shiveehuren port and 3 kilometers to Bichigt, while Mongolia has to construct 7 km to Bichigt and 13 km to Shiveehuren, P. Gankhyu, Executive Director of Mongolian Railway said in a press release.

P. Gankhyu also revealed the 416.1 km Tavantolgoi-Zunbayan railway, which has been put into operation since March 2022, had completed a total of 729,500 tonnes of cargoes.

The railway company targets to export 5 million tonnes of coal through Tavantolgoi-Zunbayan railway and 2.8 million tonnes through Tavantolgoi- Gashuunsukhait railway in 2023, P. Gankhyu said.

(Writing by Emma Yang Editing by Tammy Yang)

ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Pope Francis said on Sunday that he expected to continue travelling despite his knee ailment, joking that "weeds never die" and adding that he hoped to go to Mongolia in September.

The trip would be the first ever by a pope to the Asian country.

During his customary conversation with reporters on his return from a foreign trip, this time from Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan, the 86-year-old pope was asked about his health and travel plans.

For months, a chronic knee ailment has forced him to use a wheelchair and a cane. During recent trips, he has held the news conference on the plane while sitting, as he did on Sunday.

"On September 29 I will go to Marseille and from there I will fly to Mongolia but that is not yet certain, there is a possibility," he said.

The day trip to the southern French city of Marseille was known about but the mention of Mongolia was a complete surprise to reporters, so much so that some thought he might have said Angola.

Speaking of his health, Francis, who became pope nearly 10 years ago, said "You know that weeds never die. It (his health) is not like it was at the start of the pontificate, that is true. This knee is bothersome but it moves ahead slowly. Then we will see."

Last August Francis named Archbishop Giorgio Marengo, an Italian, the first cardinal to be based in Mongolia, where he is the Catholic Church's administrator.

The country has fewer than 1,500 Catholics but is strategically significant because it borders with China, where the Vatican is trying to improve the situation of Catholics in the communist country.

Francis, who was on his way home from his 40th foreign trip as pope, also said he would probably go to India next year. He is due to go to Portugal this August.

Reporting by Philip Pullella Editing by Frances Kerry

MBD's Mongolian (15) business delegation including 3 UB based British businessmen and a disabled/wheelchaired businessman from Selenge province successfully attended MBCC's "Doing business with Mongolia" seminar at Hogan Lovells and our business program in London, UK between Jan 29-Feb 03.2023 on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between UK and Mongolia.

Mr.B.Enkhsukh the Ambassador of Mongolia to the UK welcomed the delegation at the Embassy and the group delegates visited to the House of Commons by special arrangement, and had a joint lunch with John Grogan Chairman of MBCC.

MBD's next business program in London will be hosted in Dec 2023.