Minister of Energy B.Choijilsuren answered journalists’ questions about energy tariffs on October 2. He said, “For many years, we talked about bringing the price of energy in line with market principles and bringing it to the real cost. If the income of the economy, citizens, and enterprises stabilizes in the first half of next year, we will talk about increasing the price of electricity. Otherwise, the loss of the energy sector this year is estimated to be about 200 billion MNT. So, we have no choice but to increase the price of energy. However, we are wary of making such a decision when the income is not stable after the world economy is shaken due to the pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war.”

The minister also stated, “Mongolia’s energy consumption has exceeded the installed capacity for a long time. This problem cannot be solved in one year. But this winter may be a bit calmer. We are working to install a battery storage system with a capacity of 80 MW at the Songino substation in late November or early December. In the Dornod Power Plant, 50 MW of power will be added. Compared to last year, the consumption will increase by six to seven percent, so it will meet the previous year’s level. The first round of Buuruljuut Power Plant’s 150 MW will be installed in Q4, 2024. We plan to put the next 150 MW block into operation in Q1 and Q2, 2025. In this case, it means that we will have some energy reserves from 2025.”

The operating loss of the energy sector was 45.1 billion MNT in 2010, 18.9 billion MNT in 2015, 88.1 billion MNT in 2020, and 187.3 billion MNT in 2022. Some media reported that Russia may stop supplying energy to Mongolia and other countries from this month or may reduce the amount. When asked, the Minister said, “There was no discussion about stopping the supply of energy to us.”

The World Bank held a presentation for its estimation for East Asia and Pacific (EAP) countries and showed the GDP growth forecast for Mongolia, which was lowered by 0.1 percent from April projections. World Bank also lowered the economic growth projection for 2024 to 6.1 percent.

The report stated that Mongolia, by the end of 2022, had exceeded pre-pandemic levels of output. The outlook for consumption in China is also subject to downside risks. Mongolia is especially exposed to China as a destination for exports of construction materials. Impact on annualized GDP growth in 2024 from a consumption slowdown in China to Mongolia has about negative 0.3 percent. In addition, impact on annualized GDP growth next year from weaker residential investment in China to Mongolia is around negative 0.15 percent.

Increased government spending in the last decade was not matched by higher revenues and government spending as a share of GDP in EAP countries has, on average, been increasing. The interest payment burden has been increasing across the region as interest rates rise and is significant in Mongolia.

Policy priorities differ across EAP economies. In Mongolia, governance of banks and independence of the Mongol bank need to be strengthened as supervision transitions from a compliance-based to a risk-based approach.

As for regional outlook, the World Bank dropped its outlook for developing economies in EAP next year, because of slow economy in China. The bank expects 2024 regional GDP growth as 4.5 percent, compared to the 4.8 percent in April. The bank also mentioned that improving external conditions can lead to 4.7 percent without China next year. If China continues to face persistent domestic difficulties, it will affect the regional outlook, limiting its growth to 4.4 percent in 2024. They also said that potential risks such as international tensions and natural disasters, can further worsen the regional economic situation.

Minister of Road Transport Development of Mongolia Byambatsogt Sandag and Minister of Transport of China Li Xiaopeng held a meeting and signed a protocol of negotiations on road transport between the governments of the two countries.

Mongolian carriers will be able to transport goods within and from the territory of China to third countries using cars registered in Mongolia. Vehicles with a capacity of more than 8 passengers will be able to carry out customized tourist transportation to Beijing, Tianjin, Hohhot and other cities.

Mongolian carriers have the opportunity to transport goods by road from the seaport or to the seaport through Chinese territory.

In particular, transportation will be carried out to European countries through the territory of China, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. The transportation distance from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan to Mongolia will be reduced by approximately 1,200-1,500 km, and delivery costs and prices for consumer goods may decrease.

In a riveting display of skill and strategy, the Chinese Dota 2 team has advanced to the grand finals of the Asian Games Dota 2 Championships after a hard-fought victory over Malaysia in the semifinals, sealing their place in the championship match and securing a silver. This Chinese powerhouse, composed primarily of former PSG LGD Gaming members, has proven to be a formidable force in the Dota 2 professional scene, consistently achieving top 5 placements in multiple The International (TI) championships over the years.

China's Star Studded Dota 2 Roster guaranteed a medal

The Chinese Dota 2 team boasts a star-studded roster, featuring renowned players from the world of Dota 2:

Wang "Ame" Chunyu

Lu "Somnus" Yao

Yang "Chalice" Shenyi

Zhao "XinQ" Zixing

Yu "皮球" Yajun

Xiong "Pyw" Jiahan (Substitute)

Zhang "LaNm" Zhicheng (Coach)

The Malaysian team, highly favored and brimming with potential, fell short in a thrilling three-game series against the Chinese juggernaut.

Game 1 saw Cheng "NothingToSay" Jin Xiang put the Malaysian team on his back as Tinker and pulled off some ridiculous plays to pull of a stunning victory. But China struck back strong in Game 2 and Game 3 with Ame and XinQ proving that they have no rust, despite their absence from the pro scene for around a year. The Chinese secured a 2-1 victory and moved on to the Grand Finals.

Team China will square off against Team Mongolia, whose entire roster hails from IHC Esports, promising an intense showdown for the championship title. The Mongolian roster includes:

Altanginj "423" Bilguun

Sukhbat "sanctity" Otgondavaa

MunkhErdene "11" Battsooj

Batbayasgalan "Ace12" Narankhand

Tugstur "Se" Dashzevge

SparCo* (Coach)

Third Place Match Will See Malaysia go up Against Kyrgyzstan

As a result, Malaysia will now compete against Kyrgyzstan for the bronze medal.

Malaysia's Dota roster includes the following players:

Daniel "Ghost" Chan

Cheng "NothingToSay" Jin Xiang

Thiay "JT" Jun Wen

Ng "YamateH" Wei Poong

Yap "xNova" Jian Wei

Chai "Mushi" Yee Fung (Coach)

Gamebred (Coach)

Meanwhile, Kyrgyzstan's Dota roster comprises the following players:

Kyial "dream`" Tayirov

hina

Bektur "Max" Kulov

Baqyt "Zayac" Emiljanov

awe

Justvik (Coach)

Where to Watch?

Dota 2 enthusiasts and fans can tune in to the live broadcast of the third-place match, scheduled for October 2, 2023, at 14:00 CST, and the highly anticipated grand finals, set to kick off on the same day at 19:00 CST. The clash of titans between China and Mongolia promises to be a spectacle for esports aficionados worldwide, as both teams vie for glory in the Asian Games Dota 2 Championships.

A few months ago, a University of Lorraine research team led by Jacques Pironon and Philippe de Donato set out to assess the level of methane gas in the Lorraine sub-soil, an area that hosts rock formations from the Carboniferous period, about 359 to 299 million years ago.

Their goal was to make an estimate of the total amount of methane present there and see if local production was viable. However, they ended up hitting something unexpected.

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Using Solexperts’ SysMoG, a probe and method for gas measurements in deep boreholes, the group was able to assess, in an environmentally friendly way, the gas dissolved in water in rock formations up to 1200 metres in depth. That’s when they realized that they had discovered what may be the world’s largest white hydrogen deposit.

Different from its manufactured counterparts, that is, grey, black and green hydrogen, white hydrogen is a primary energy source because it is already present in that state in nature. This means that there is no need for extra energy inputs from other gases or substances.

“Following chemical monitoring of the rock strata and accompanying methane deposits, we had been surprised to find that a high proportion of hydrogen was present and that its concentration grew as we descended, reaching 20% at 1250 metres down,” the researchers wrote in a recent article in The Conversation. “Such levels allowed us to speculate that at 3000 metres below the ground, hydrogen content could exceed 90%, according to our modelling. On the basis of the gas data at 1100 metres below ground (14% hydrogen), the Lorraine deposit could contain up to 46 million tonnes of white hydrogen, which is to say more than half of the world’s current annual production of grey hydrogen.”

For comparison, Pironon and de Donato mention that the well in Bourakébougou, Western Mali, is presently the world’s only exploited white hydrogen site and its production is only 5 tonnes per year. Thus, it trails way behind the 80 million tonnes of natural gas-based grey hydrogen globally produced every year.

Modelling work carried out following the discovery is making the scientists think there is a possibility of the Lorraine white hydrogen supply being almost infinite.

They are now mapping the best ways for extracting the gas, a process that starts by proving that hydrogen is evenly distributed in a 490-square-kilometre large basin. To do this, they have deployed the SysMoG probe in boreholes near the existing one at Folschviller where they discovered the presence of hydrogen. The next step is to show that the concentration of hydrogen keeps growing at depths greater than 1200 metres.

Since there aren’t any boreholes in the Lorraine region that allow them to send a probe so deep, they are also seeking the French government’s approval to carry out a deep, 3000-metre excavation to demonstrate that the concentration of hydrogen does indeed grow further down.

“If this is the case, we will confirm the presence of an exceptional deposit of naturally occurring hydrogen, bigger than any discovered elsewhere, and we can make a first realistic estimate of its scale,” the team’s article reads. “A number of commercial and institutional partners, French and international, are interested in financing the project.”

A new transport corridor announced on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Delhi will become the basis of world trade for hundreds of years to come, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a recent radio address. Can it really?

US President Joe Biden and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman upgraded their frosty relationship from an awkward fist bump last year to a firm handshake as they announced the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC). (Biden had once vowed to make Saudi Arabia a global pariah.)

The project launched to bolster transportation and communication links between Europe and Asia through rail and shipping networks, while beneficial for the region, was also telling of American foreign policy, "which, to put it simply, is anything that would further US interests against China," Ravi Agarwal, editor-in-chief of Foreign Policy magazine told the BBC.

America does not benefit materially from being part of the project, "but this can be put in the category of the Japan-South Korea summit at Camp David," says Parag Khanna, author of Connectography. The US marked its diplomatic presence at the presidential country retreat by brokering a thaw in the relationship of the two pacific nations in the face of growing Chinese expansionism.

The IMEC is also being seen by many as a US counter to China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a global infrastructure-building project that connects China with Southeast Asia, Central Asia, Russia and Europe.

Are comparisons with BRI justified?

This year marks a decade since President Xi launched the BRI.

Some say the project's grand ambitions have dwindled significantly, as lending to projects has slowed down amid China's economic slowdown. Countries like Italy are expressing their desire to withdraw, and nations such as Sri Lanka and Zambia find themselves caught in debt traps, unable to meet their loan obligations.

BRI has also faced criticism for a numerous other reasons from its "underlying objectives of gaining strategic influence through developmental footprint… aggressively linking different regions with Sino-centric value chains, inadequate attention to local needs, lack of transparency, disregard for sovereignty, adverse environmental impact, corruption, and lack of sound financial oversight," Girish Luthra, a fellow at the Observer Research Foundation think-tank wrote in a recent paper.

Despite the hiccups the Chinese have achieved a "staggering amount" and IMEC isn't even close to being a "rival" says Mr Khanna, adding that it can at best be a moderate volume corridor.

"It is not a game changer on the scale of BRI. It is a good announcement but you don't look at the proposal and say, oh my god, the world can't live without it," Mr Khanna told the BBC.

You can see why.

China has a 10 year head-start with BRI with total investments under the initiative crossing an eye popping $1 trillion this July. Over 150 countries have joined as partners, which as Mr Luthra writes has significantly expanded its geographical scope "from a regional to a near-global initiative."

IMEC isn't the first effort by the developed west to use infrastructure as a counter to contain China's growing footprint.

The G7 and US launched a Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment in 2022, aiming to mobilize $600bn in global infrastructure projects by 2027. The Global Gateway is the EU's answer to BRI.

Neither match its scale or ambition. However the fact that the past five years have witnessed a surge in these projects in response to China's initiative is evidence that BRI has been a "global economic multiplier," says Mr Khanna.

Some analysts caution against exclusively viewing IMEC through the lens of opposition to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), suggesting that such a binary perspective may not be fruitful.

Its formation gives a further boost to the ongoing trend of transactional partnerships, where countries engage in collaboration with multiple partners simultaneously. "Most countries these days tend to participate in multiple fora and alliances," says Ravinder Kaur, a professor at the University of Copenhagen.

Devil in the detail

IMEC's memorandum of understanding document is thin on detail but an action plan is expected in the next 60 days. As of date all it has done is map out the potential geography of a corridor.

Making it happen will be enormously complex. "I'd like to see an identification of key government agencies who will underwrite the investments, the capital each government will allocate, and the time frames, says Mr Khanna.

A new customs and trade architecture will also be need to be put in place to harmonise paperwork, he adds, giving the example of the Trans-Eurasian railway through Kazakhstan that passes through 30 countries. "That transit is seamless. You need clearances only at the beginning and end of the journey. We don't have this with IMEC."

Then there are also the obvious geopolitical complexities of navigating ties between partner countries such as the US, Israel and Saudi Arabia who often don't see eye to eye. It wouldn't take very much for tactical cooperation of this kind to go awry, say experts.

Giant gantry cranes lined up in Haifa container port, Israel, at sunrise, viewed from cruise ship

IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES

Image caption,

The corridor will include the Haifa port in Israel

The IMEC will compete with the Suez Canal, the sea-level waterway in Egypt used to transport freight between Mumbai and Europe. "To the extent IMEC improves our relations with the UAE and Saudi Arabia, it will hurt relations with Egypt," economist Swaminathan Aiyar wrote in his column for the Times of India.

Transport by sea through the Suez Canal is also cheaper, faster and considerably less cumbersome. "It may make excellent political sense, but it goes against all the tenets of transport economics," Mr Aiyar adds.

But IMEC's ambitions transcend the narrow scope of trade and economics to include everything from electricity grids to cybersecurity - building on conversations that have taken place in security forums like the Quad, points out Navdeep Puri, a former Indian ambassador to the UAE in a column for The National News.

"If the lofty ambitions outlined in New Delhi can become a reality, they would make a singular contribution to a safer, more habitable planet. For now, let's live with that hope."

The Minister for the Armed Forces James Heappey visited Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Mongolia this week to meet with defence leaders and military chiefs, for talks to deepen security and defence cooperation.

In Kazakhstan on Tuesday, he met with officials including Deputy Foreign Minister Roman Vassilenko, Deputy Defence Minister Lieutenant General Sultan Burkutbayevich Kamaletdinov and members of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Security of the Mazhilis of Parliament, to discuss future cooperation on peacekeeping missions. The Minister also welcomed Kazakhstan’s support for the sanctions regime against Russia in response to the war against Ukraine.

For over 20 years, the UK has assisted Kazakhstan in building the capability of the Peace Operations Centre (KAZCENT), helping to enable Kazakh deployments on peace support operations such as the UN missions in Côte d’Ivoire, Lebanon and Western Sahara. These efforts have been underpinned by military English language training delivered by the UK.

The minister then travelled to Uzbekistan on Wednesday, where he held regional security talks with the Minister of Defence, Lieutenant General Bakhodir Kurbanov, as well as the Commander of the National Guard, General Rustam Jo’rayev, and Special Representative of the President of Uzbekistan for Afghanistan Ismatulla Irgashev. He also laid a wreath at the Victory Park in Tashkent to pay tribute to Uzbek soldiers who lost their lives in World War Two.

His visit concluded in Mongolia, where he became the first British defence minister to visit the country. He met Defence Minister Gürsediin Saikhanbayar and discussed cooperation on peacekeeping missions. The UK and Mongolia have an especially close relationship: our soldiers have served together in Afghanistan and as peacekeepers in South Sudan, and 2023 marks the 60th anniversary of the UK becoming the first Western country to forge diplomatic relations with Mongolia.

Minister for the Armed Forces, Rt Hon James Heappey MP, said:

My visits this week form part of the approach outlined in the recent Defence Command Paper as we build our strategic international partnerships across Asia, in the interests of security and prosperity for everyone.

I’ve held productive discussions with defence ministers and military leaders in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Mongolia, laying the groundwork for future cooperation, especially on peacekeeping operations.

As set out in the Integrated Review Refresh 2023, the UK is committed to strengthening engagement with Central Asia and Mongolia to boost their prosperity, security and resistance to Russian interference.

The autumn session of the Parliament of Mongolia began work at the State Residence on October 2.

The opening was attended by President Khurelsukh Ukhnaa, Prime Minister Oyun-Erdene Luvsannamsrai, representatives of diplomatic missions and international organizations.

The session opened with the ceremony of hanging a portrait of Genghis Khan on the wall.

Then President of Mongolia Khurelsukh Ukhnaa, Chairman of the Parliament Zandanshatar Gombojav and Prime Minister Oyun-Erdene Luvsannamsrai paid tribute to the portrait of Genghis Khan.

Opening the autumn session of the Parliament, Chairman Zandanshatar Gombojav made a speech.

Summary of this week's events on October 2-8, 2023 In Ulaanbaatar:

October 2: at 09:00, the World Bank's "Economic Review of East Asia and the Pacific" report will be presented to the press.

October 2: at 10:00 the regular fall Session of the Parliament will be opened.

October 2: From 11:00 to 17:30, the Human Rights Committee of the Democratic Party will organize the "Human Rights and Prisoner of Ideology" forum and photo exhibition in memory of the former public figure S. Zorig.

October 2: Trade and Investment Forum of Mongolia and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of People’s Republic of China will be held.

October 3-5: Mongolia Mining-2023 international mining and oil exhibition will be held.

On October 4: The regular meeting of the Cabinet will be held at the State House.

October 5: 22nd World Teachers' Day and 59th Mongolian Teachers' Day will be celebrated.

On October 5: "A Summer Flower" tragedy will be performed in honour of the 10th anniversary of "Emotsi" production at the Central Cultural Palace.

On October 6-7: "Open Khuvsgul -2023" activity will be held at Sukhbaatar Square in Ulaanbaatar.

On October 7-11: Asian Football Confederation Futsal Asia Cup qualifier group D matches will be held at the Buyant-Ukhaa Sports Palace.

Locally:

October 1-3: Judo Junior National Championship will be held in Uliastai, Zavkhan aimags.

On October 2: On the occasion of the Mongolian Teachers' Day Five sports competitions will be held in the city of Choibalsan, Dornod aimag.

On October 6: The first poetry festival "Aglagkhan Talaasaa" (From my dear steppe) named after famous poet Nyamsuren Danzan will be held in Choibalsan, Dornod aimag.