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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Oyu Tolgoi receives Tax Act from Mongolian Tax Authority www.turquoisehill.com

Turquoise Hill Resources today (Dec 23) announced that Oyu Tolgoi LLC has received, and is evaluating, a Tax Act (“tax assessment”) for approximately US$228 million cash tax from the Mongolian Tax Authority (MTA) relating to an audit on taxes imposed and paid by Oyu Tolgoi LLC between 2016 and 2018. This tax assessment is being evaluated by Oyu Tolgoi LLC and a response will be issued within the timeframe required by Mongolian Law.
As previously announced by Turquoise Hill, on January 16, 2018, Oyu Tolgoi LLC had received and was evaluating a tax assessment for approximately US$155 million from the MTA relating to an audit on taxes imposed and paid by Oyu Tolgoi LLC between 2013 and 2015. On February 20, 2020, Turquoise Hill announced that Oyu Tolgoi LLC initiated formal international arbitration proceeding in accordance with the dispute resolution provisions within Chapter 14 of the Oyu Tolgoi Investment Agreement (Investment Agreement) entered into with the Government of Mongolia in 2009 and Chapter 8 of the Oyu Tolgoi Underground Mine Development and Financing Plan entered into with the Government of Mongolia in 2015. Most of the matters raised in respect of the current US$228m cash tax assessment for the 2016 to 2018 years are of a similar nature to the matters that have been referred to international arbitration for the 2013 to 2015 years.
The MTA has also made a US$1.5 billion adjustment to the balance of Oyu Tolgoi LLC’s carried forward tax losses. The adjustments are to disallow or defer certain tax deductions claimed in the
2016 to 2018 years. The relevant losses are not currently scheduled to be utilized in the near term.
This adjustment is also being evaluated by Oyu Tolgoi LLC and a response will be issued within the timeframe required by Mongolian Law.
Turquoise Hill remains of the opinion that Oyu Tolgoi LLC has paid all taxes and charges required under the Investment Agreement, the Amended and Restated Shareholder Agreement, the
Underground Mine Development and Financing Plan and Mongolian law.
News Release
December 23, 2020
Oyu Tolgoi receives Tax Act from Mongolian Tax Authority
Turquoise Hill Resources Ltd.
Suite 3680 1 Place Ville-Marie
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
H3B 3P2
Telephone + 1 514 848 1567
Toll Free + 1 877 589 4455
info@turquoisehill.com
2
Forward-looking statements and forward-looking information
Certain statements made herein, including statements relating to matters that are not historical facts and statements of the Company’s beliefs, intentions and expectations about developments, results and events which will or may occur in the future, constitute “forwardlooking information” within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements and information relate to future events or future performance, reflect current expectations or beliefs regarding future events and are typically
identified by words such as “anticipate”, “could”, “should”, “expect”, “seek”, “may”, “intend”, “likely”, “plan”, “estimate”, “will”, “believe” and similar expressions suggesting future outcomes or statements regarding an outlook. These include, but are not limited to, statements and information regarding: the arbitration proceedings, including the potential benefits, timing and outcome of the arbitration proceedings; the expectations set out in the OTTR20; the timing and amount of future production and potential production delays; the timing of
commencement of the undercut, as well as the timing and achievement of other key milestones; statements in respect of the impacts of any delays on the Company’s cash flows; expected copper and gold grades; the merits of the class action complaint filed against the Company; liquidity, funding sources, funding requirements and planning and the status and nature of the Company’s ongoing discussions with Rio Tinto and its subsidiaries with respect to future funding plans and requirements (including as contemplated by the MOU); the
amount of any funding gap to complete the Oyu Tolgoi Project; the amount and potential sources of additional funding; the Company’s ability to re-profile its existing project debt in line with current cash flow projections; the amount by which a successful re-profiling of the Company’s existing debt would reduce the Company’s currently projected funding requirements; the Company’s and Rio Tinto’s
understanding regarding the raising of supplemental senior debt and the Company’s ability to raise supplemental senior debt; the
Company’s and Rio Tinto’s understanding regarding the process for identifying and considering other funding options; the Company’s and Rio Tinto’s understanding regarding the scope and timing for an equity offering by the Company to address any remaining funding gap; the Company’s intention to prioritise funding by way of debt and/or hybrid financing over equity funding; the Company’s expectation of the anticipated funding gap; the timing of studies, announcements and analyses; status of underground development; the mine design for
Panel 0 of Hugo North Lift 1 and the related cost and production schedule implications; the re-design studies for Panels 1 and 2 of Hugo North Lift 1 and the possible outcomes, content and timing thereof; expectations regarding the possible recovery of ore in the two structural pillars, to the north and south of Panel 0; the possible progression of SOPP and related amendments to the PSFA as well as power purchase agreements; the timing of construction and commissioning of the potential SOPP; sources of interim power; the potential impact
of COVID-19 on the Company’s business, operations and financial condition; capital and operating cost estimates, the content of the
definitive estimate ; mill and concentrator throughput; the outcome of formal international arbitration proceedings; anticipated business activities, planned expenditures, corporate strategies, and other statements that are not historical facts.
Forward-looking statements and information are made based upon certain assumptions and other important factors that, if untrue, could
cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such statements or information. There can be no assurance that such statements or information will prove to be accurate. Such statements and information are based on numerous assumptions regarding present and future business strategies, local and global economic conditions, and the environment in which the Company will operate in the future, including the price
of copper, gold and silver; projected gold, copper and silver grades; anticipated capital and operating costs; anticipated future production and cash flows; the anticipated location of certain infrastructure in Hugo North Lift 1 and sequence of mining within and across panel boundaries; the availability and timing of required governmental and other approvals for the construction of the SOPP; the ability of the Government of Mongolia to finance and procure the SOPP within the timeframes anticipated in the PSFA, as amended; the willingness
of third parties to extend existing power arrangements; the status of the Company’s relationship and interaction with the Government of Mongolia on the continued operation and development of Oyu Tolgoi and Oyu Tolgoi LLC internal governance; the status and nature of the Company’s ongoing discussions with Rio Tinto and its subsidiaries with respect to future funding plans and requirements (including Contact
Investors and Media
Roy McDowall
+ 1 514-848-1506
roy.mcdowall@turquoisehill.com
Follow us on Twitter @TurquoiseHillRe
Turquoise Hill Resources Ltd.
Suite 3680 1 Place Ville-Marie
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
H3B 3P2
Telephone + 1 514 848 1567
Toll Free + 1 877 589 4455
info@turquoisehill.com
3
as contemplated by the MoU) as well as the commencement and conclusion of the arbitration proceedings, including the potential benefits,
timing and outcome of the arbitration proceedings.
Certain important factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those in the forwardlooking statements and information include, among others: copper, gold and silver price volatility; discrepancies between actual and
estimated production; mineral reserves and resources and metallurgical recoveries; development plans for processing resources; the
accuracy of the definitive estimate review; public health crises such as COVID-19; matters relating to proposed exploration or expansion;
mining operational and development risks, including geotechnical risks and ground conditions; litigation risks, including the outcome of
the class action complaint filed against the Company; regulatory restrictions (including environmental regulatory restrictions and liability);
Oyu Tolgoi LLC or the Government of Mongolia’s ability to deliver a domestic power source for the Oyu Tolgoi project within the required
contractual time frame; communications with local stakeholders and community relations; activities, actions or assessments, including tax
assessments, by governmental authorities; events or circumstances (including strikes, blockades or similar events outside of the
Company’s control) that may affect the Company’s ability to deliver its products in a timely manner; currency fluctuations; the speculative
nature of mineral exploration; the global economic climate; dilution; share price volatility; competition; loss of key employees; cyber security
incidents; additional funding requirements, including in respect of the development or construction of a long-term domestic power supply
for the Oyu Tolgoi project; capital and operating costs, including with respect to the development of additional deposits and processing
facilities; and defective title to mineral claims or property. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could
cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements and information, there may
be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. All such forward-looking statements
and information are based on certain assumptions and analyses made by the Company’s management in light of their experience and
perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors management believes are
reasonable and appropriate in the circumstances. These statements, however, are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other
factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements or information.
With respect to specific forward-looking information concerning the continued operation and development of Oyu Tolgoi, the Company
has based its assumptions and analyses on certain factors which are inherently uncertain. Uncertainties and assumptions include, among
others: the timing and cost of the construction and expansion of mining and processing facilities; the timing and availability of a long-term
domestic power source (or the availability of financing for the Company or the Government of Mongolia to construct such a source) for
Oyu Tolgoi; the ability to secure and draw down on the supplemental debt under the Oyu Tolgoi project financing facility and the availability
of additional financing on terms reasonably acceptable to Oyu Tolgoi LLC, Rio Tinto and the Company to further develop Oyu Tolgoi as
well as the status and nature of the Company’s ongoing discussions with Rio Tinto and its subsidiaries with respect to future funding plans
and requirements (including as contemplated by the MOU); the potential impact of COVID-19; the impact of changes in, changes in
interpretation to or changes in enforcement of, laws, regulations and government practices in Mongolia; the availability and cost of skilled
labour and transportation; the obtaining of (and the terms and timing of obtaining) necessary environmental and other government
approvals, consents and permits; delays, and the costs which would result from delays, in the development of the underground mine
(which could significantly exceed the costs projected in OTTR20 and the definitive estimate); projected copper, gold and silver prices and
their market demand; and production estimates and the anticipated yearly production of copper, gold and silver at Oyu Tolgoi.
The cost, timing and complexities of mine construction and development are increased by the remote location of a property such as Oyu
Tolgoi. It is common in mining operations and in the development or expansion of existing facilities to experience unexpected problems
and delays during development, construction and mine start-up. Additionally, although Oyu Tolgoi has achieved commercial production,
there is no assurance that future development activities will result in profitable mining operations.
Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information or statements. By their nature, forward-looking
statements involve numerous assumptions, inherent risks and uncertainties, both general and specific, which contribute to the possibility
that the predicted outcomes will not occur. Events or circumstances could cause the Company’s actual results to differ materially from
those estimated or projected and expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual
results to differ from these forward-looking statements are included in the “Risk Factors” section in the Company’s AIF, as supplemented
by the “Risks and Uncertainties” section of the Q3 2020 MD&A.
Readers are further cautioned that the list of factors enumerated in the “Risk Factors” section of the AIF and in the “Risks and
Uncertainties” section of the Q3 2020 MD&A that may affect future results is not exhaustive. When relying on the Company’s forwardlooking statements and information to make decisions with respect to the Company, investors and others should carefully consider the
foregoing factors and other uncertainties and potential events. Furthermore, the forward-looking statements and information contained
herein are made as of the date of this document and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update or to revise any of the
included forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required
by applicable law. The forward-looking statements and information contained herein are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.
...


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Hubei's thank-you tea departs for Mongolia www.xinhuanet.com

WUHAN, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Central China's Hubei Province, once hard-hit by COVID-19, started shipping local tea to Mongolia on Wednesday as gifts in appreciation of their previous donation of sheep in support of China's COVID-19 fight.
The tea, made up of three local brands, is expected to arrive at the China-Mongolia border port of Erenhot, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, on Dec. 25.
"The Mongolian people have a custom to use tea bricks for making milk tea, and Hubei has a long history of exporting tea to the country," said He Gongwei, an executive from a local tea manufacturer. "Using tea as a gift represents the long, extended friendship between us."
Some of the tea packaging has Mongolian elements such as the yurt in the designs, according to the manufacturers.
Mongolian President Khaltmaa Battulga visited China in February when China's COVID-19 battle was in a critical stage, and promised to send 30,000 sheep as a token of support.
The first batch of over 11,000 sheep arrived in Wuhan in late November after being slaughtered. The Hubei government decided to deliver part of the mutton to medical workers in Hubei who had contributed to the COVID-19 fight. Enditem
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Canada's Turquoise Hill considers gold streaming, debt funding for Mongolian mine www.reuters.com

(Reuters) - Canadian miner Turquoise Hill Resources Ltd said on Tuesday it intended to pursue “gold streaming” and medium-term debt offering transactions for its Oyu Tolgoi copper and gold project in Mongolia.
The streaming transaction would involve “a significant up-front payment” to Oyu Tolgoi, as well as deferred payments based on gold “spot” prices, Turquoise Hill said.
Streaming is a type of alternative finance that generally involves an upfront payment by the streamer to a miner, which repays the loan by supplying metal at a later date.
The potential transaction will be in exchange for deliveries to one or more streamers of an agreed portion of gold produced from the Oyut deposit, the company added.
It was also considering one or more offering of global medium-term debt by Oyu Tolgoi with a tenor of at least 10 years. It would require Oyu Tolgoi to make a “bullet” repayment of the principal at maturity.
“We will now focus on finalising terms for a streaming transaction as soon as possible, and on completing preparations necessary for a potential inaugural offering of (global medium term notes/bonds) later in 2021,” Chief Financial Officer Luke Colton said.
The Oyu Tolgoi deposit in south Mongolia is jointly owned by Rio Tinto-controlled Turquoise Hill and the Mongolian state.
Reporting by Shubham Kalia in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi Aich
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“Mongolia ready to intensify talks on Oyu Tolgoi project issues” www.montsame.mn

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/. On December 18, representatives of the Mongolian government’s working group in charge of ensuring the implementation of State Great Khural’s 2019 resolution No. 92 held an online meeting with Jakob Stausholm, new chief executive of Rio Tinto to discuss current situation and issues concerning Oyu Tolgoi gold and copper project.
The meeting was attended by L.Oyun-Erdene, Chief of Cabinet Secretariat, and head of the working group, Minister of Mining and Heavy Industry G.Yondon and other high-level officials, representing the government of Mongolia.
From Rio Tinto, Arnaud Soirat, CEO of Copper & Diamonds at Rio Tinto, Elias Scafidas, Chief Financial Officer of Copper & Diamonds, Arshad Sayed, Chief Development Officer of the Copper & Diamonds, Amarjargal Khenchbish, Rio Tinto Mongolia LLC Deputy Director and other officials were present at the meeting.
As noted in the press release by the Cabinet Secretariat of the Mongolian government, the working group has forwarded several proposals to increase the benefits Mongolia to receive from Oyu Tolgoi project and revise and improve agreements for the project, and has launched talks within the framework of the parliament’s resolution No. 92.
“Due to issues surrounding Rio Tinto’s destruction of a 46,000-year-old cultural heritage site in the expansion of an iron ore mine in Australia, the negotiations had come to a standstill” the press release says.
“Given the effective date of Jakob Stausholm’s appointment from January 1, 2021, the working group has expressed willingness to move forward with the negotiations.”
Voicing his concerns with the cost overruns in the development of Oyu Tolgoi underground mine as well as decline in the project benefits, Minister Oyun-Erdene affirmed the necessity to increase project’s benefits to Mongolia and improve relevant agreements and, if it is required, to terminate the Oyu Tolgoi Underground Mine Development and Financing Plan, known as ‘Dubai Agreement’.
The government working group has previously put forward to the investor side to review the implementation of Oyu Tolgoi agreements. Following the proposal, a board of directors of Oyu Tolgoi LLC approved a resolution on November 30, 2020 to establish a special committee mandated to conduct an independent review of the causes of the cost overruns and delays to the Oyu Tolgoi underground development.
Rio Tinto expressed its readiness to resolve any issues through dialogues and consensus and to introduce certain proposals aimed at increasing Mongolia’s benefits from the project while achieving mutually beneficial cooperation.
"The working group of the government of Mongolia is working to intensify talks on the Oyu Tolgoi project" the press release says.
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Mongolian leader barred from selling £11m London flat www.thetimes.co.uk

The High Court has ordered that an £11 million London flat believed to be owned by the former prime minister of Mongolia cannot be sold or transferred during an international £185 million corruption and money-laundering investigation.
Sukhbaatar Batbold, the prime minister of Mongolia between 2009 and 2012, has been accused of receiving hundreds of millions of dollars from kickbacks in illegal deals involving the nation’s two largest mines.
Judge Mark Pelling, QC, granted the freezing injunction on the flat within the Knightsbridge Apartments block on November 18.
Located between Harrods and Hyde Park, the Knightsbridge is a 201-flat complex developed by Henry Cheng, the Hong Kong property tycoon, in 2005.
...


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China-Europe train brings Russian barley to Sichuan www.xinhuanet.com

CHENGDU, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- A total of 1,200 tonnes of Russian barley arrived on Monday in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province. It is the first time barley has been imported via the China-Europe train service from Russia to Sichuan.
The train departed from Novosibirsk and arrived in Chengdu in approximately 10 days. The batch of Russian barley will be used as a raw material for deep processing and will be further sold to markets in Mianyang, Nanchong and other places in Sichuan.
"Sichuan has been developing the intensive processing of grain and other agricultural products and thus has a huge demand for quality produce. This 'barley train' has expanded our import channels and our second train will depart by the end of the year," said Chen Mingqian with the Jiayuantongyang Commercial and Trading Co., Ltd, the importer.
Chengdu has been promoting imports of farm products such as wheat, rice, flaxseed and sunflower seed oil from markets including Russia, Southeast Asia and Central Asia to ensure the domestic grain supply security, according to the administrative committee of the Chengdu International Railway Port. Enditem
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Apple’s shares surge on reported plans to launch self-driving electric car in 2024 www.rt.com

Reported efforts by Apple to get into the automotive market and make a passenger vehicle that features its own battery technology boosted the iPhone maker’s stock more than four percent after markets opened on Tuesday.
Apple’s stock was trading above $134 per share shortly after the opening bell on Wall Street. If the rally continues until the end of the trading session, the company’s market cap could jump by around $60 billion.
Investor sentiment was driven by the news that the two-trillion-dollar tech giant is moving forward with its plans to build a vehicle for the mass market, Reuters reported citing two people familiar with the matter. The car, which is part of what is known as Project Titan, is reportedly set to have a new battery design which could significantly cut the cost of batteries and increase the vehicle’s range.
While the report signaled that production is scheduled to start in four years, some of the sources told Reuters that the coronavirus pandemic may push it back to 2025 or beyond.
Some other companies have also benefited from investor excitement. While the report named neither the possible assembler of the car nor any prospective suppliers to Apple, shares of two companies – Velodyne and Luminar – saw two-digit growth on Monday. The firms make lidar sensors that help self-driving cars get a three-dimensional view of the road.
...


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Is Australia’s Loss Mongolia’s Gain? www.mongoliaweekly.org

Towards the end of each year, China's coal imports decline, only to restart with vigor early the next year. This slowdown, officially blamed on customs clearance issues, has happened for the past two years. This official explanation has shown a remarkable regularity at the end of the year when China has mostly satisfied its domestic need for coal.
In both 2018 and 2019 around November, a line of coal trucks kilometers long would sit at Mongolia's southern border with China in below-freezing temperatures waiting to be processed.
An Australian coal miner said they believed Australian coal imports were simply being delayed until January. Yet this year seems to be different. The recent trade spat between China and Australia has resulted in China eliminating clearance restrictions from several countries, except for Australia. And in December, more reports surfaced that China banned Australian coal in breach of WTO rules.
Since July, Mongolia's coal export has been ramping up and trying to make up ground that it lost due to coal exports dipping to near zero in March.
Mongolia's Finance Ministry stated in 2019 that mining revenues made up 27% of the state budget. In addition, prior to just a few days ago Mongolia might have been looking at a hard slowdown of customs clearance for coal exports at the border in November.
While the spat between Australia and China would be seen to be an opportunity for Mongolia, it is important to keep in mind the type of coal that Mongolia predominantly exports to China.
Nevertheless, for the past few years, Mongolia has been running up against China’s de facto coal quotas.
With Australia sidelined, Mongolia has a significant opportunity to ramp up coking coal exports.
In 2019 Mongolia’s share of coking coal exports hovered around 50% of China’s total import. In 2020 Australia filled the gap left by Mongolia and in March accounted for nearly 80% of China’s coking coal imports.
Now it is Mongolia’s turn to fill the gap. If Australian coal imports remain stranded at sea, Mongolia could increase coking coal exports significantly in the near term.
Challenges remain for Mongolia. Currently, coal is still trucked to China, and the under-construction Tavan-Tolgoi Gashuunsukhait railroad is scheduled to be completed in 2022. This railroad will improve margins by reducing transportation costs and speed customs clearance, which will result in higher revenues and increase exportability.
Until then, the main bottleneck is still customs clearance with China.
The recently opened “green channel”, which optimizes clearance of cross-border freight and related personnel, has been said to help. Yet due to the recent outbreak of COVID-19 in Mongolia, China insisted truck drivers entering the country be tested before being allowed to cross the border (almost 12,000 truck drivers were tested for Covid).
Currently, there is a big opportunity in front of Mongolia, and we will see early in 2021 if it can take advantage of it.
By Robert Ritz: Based in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, Robert Ritz is a data scientist and a director of English-language LETU University in Mongolia.
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PetroChina makes HUGE gas find www.rt.com

PetroChina discovered a natural gas field with reserves in excess of 100 billion cubic meters, Chinese states news agency Xinhua reported this weekend.
The agency cited a company official who said the field could produce 610,000 cubic meters of gas plus 106.3 cubic meters of crude oil daily.
"The discovery marks a major breakthrough in gas exploration in the southern rim of the Junggar Basin, which will further guarantee the gas supply of our company and contribute to the stability and prosperity of the region," Huo Jin, general manager of PetroChina's unit in the northwestern province of Xinjiang, said.
Last week, another subsidiary of PetroChina reported growing natural gas production this year, as Beijing aims for a greater share of domestic production in its gas consumption.
Southwest Oil and Gasfield Company said it had produced some 30 billion cubic meters of natural gas since the start of the year and expected the annual total to reach 31.6 billion cubic meters. This will represent a sixth of China's total natural gas output. By 2025, the company plans to boost this to 50 billion cubic meters per year.
China is one of the world's largest natural gas importers, and as demand for the fuel soars, so do imports.
Back in 2010, imports accounted for just 15 percent of China's natural gas supply. By 2018, the share of imports in the country's gas supply surged to nearly half—45 percent—of the total supply. As consumption has been vastly outpacing domestic natural gas production, China has been looking for three years to raise its own production.
This has prompted Beijing to double down on its efforts to expand domestic production, including both conventional and unconventional reserves. As a result of these efforts, Rystad Energy reported recently, China will become the top market for seismic exploration onshore over the next two years, while exploration activity remains subdued elsewhere in the world.
This article was originally published on Oilprice.com
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Russia’s Putin signs bill giving ex-presidents lifetime immunity www.aljazeera.com

President Vladimir Putin has signed a law granting former Russian presidents expanded immunity from prosecution and allowing them to become senators for life in the upper house of Parliament once they leave the Kremlin.
The new law follows sweeping reforms of Russia’s political system initiated by Putin this year. Among other things, it allows him to run for two more six-year terms in the Kremlin if he chooses.
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The legislation was part of constitutional amendments that were approved this summer in a nationwide vote that allowed Putin to remain president until 2036. He would otherwise have had to step down in 2024.
The reforms are being parsed for clues as to what Putin, 68, may do at the end of his current term, which is his second consecutive term and his fourth overall.
Former presidents were already entitled to immunity from prosecution for crimes committed while in office, but the new law grants them lifelong immunity and says they cannot be arrested, searched, questioned or prosecuted.
The new legislation also makes it harder to revoke a former president’s immunity.
Among other things, the process involves the upper house of Parliament voting overwhelmingly to revoke it on the strength of accusations by the lower house that the president has committed treason or another serious crime.
The other laws signed by Putin allow presidents to name up to 30 senators to the Federation Council, Russia’s upper house, and to join the Council themselves once they have left office.
On Tuesday, the lower house State Duma also passed legislation making information about employees of Russia’s judicial system, law enforcement and regulatory and military bodies confidential.
The bill now requires Putin’s signature to become law, a step that is considered a formality.
It comes a day after opposition figure Alexey Navalny said he telephoned an alleged security agent and tricked him into admitting the Federal Security Service (FSB) tried to kill him in August by poisoning.
Navalny said he had gained access to the security agent’s phone number from leaked logs and travel records.
The Kremlin critic later published the agent’s alleged address and phone number, actions that would become illegal under the newly proposed legislation.
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