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    

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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 reports 11 new COVID-19 cases www.montsame.mn

At the regular press briefing of the Ministry of Health today, December 2, A.Ambaselmaa, a head of Surveillance Department of the National Center for Communicable Diseases (NCCD), reported that the coronavirus was detected in 11 people after testing 12015 people within the past 24 hours.
Six new cases have been recorded in Ulaanbaatar city, three -- in Selenge aimag and two -- Orkhon aimag. No new infections recorded in Darkhan-Uul, Dornogobi, Gobisumber and Arkhangai aimags.
As of today, the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Mongolia has reached 812, with 358 recoveries and 429 local transmission cases.
445 people are undergoing the treatment at the NCCD.
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Boeing's updated 737 MAX completes first flight with media onboard www.reuters.com

DALLAS (Reuters) - Boeing Co’s 737 MAX staged its first post-grounding flight with media on board on Wednesday, as carriers seek to demonstrate to passengers that the redesigned jet is safe after a 20-month safety ban.
In another display of confidence, European budget airline Ryanair was set to place a hefty order for up to 75 additional 737 MAX jets, industry sources said.
Wednesday’s American Airlines 737 MAX flight was a 45-minute hop from Dallas, Texas, to Tulsa, Oklahoma. It comes weeks before the first commercial passenger flight on Dec. 29, and is part of a public relations effort to allay any concerns about the aircraft.
Boeing’s best-selling jet was grounded in March 2019 after two crashes in five months killed a combined 346 people, marking the industry’s worst safety crisis in decades and undermining U.S. aviation regulatory leadership.
Wednesday’s flight marked the first time anyone besides regulators and industry personnel flew on the MAX since the grounding, which ignited investigations focusing on software that overwhelmed pilots.
The mood on Wednesday’s flight, which included a Reuters reporter, was subdued. Some passengers mingled and chatted before landing, when applause broke out.
Reflecting the COVID-19 pandemic that has roiled commercial aviation, each of the roughly 90 journalists, flight attendants and other American Airlines employees on the flight wore face masks.
Boeing gets 737 MAX order boost from Ryanair: sources
“The history of aviation is built around a chain of safety,” Captain Pete Gamble told passengers just before takeoff. “When the chain of safety breaks it’s up to those of us in the industry to mend it and bring it back.”
Last month, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration cleared the jet following design changes and new training.
A smooth return to service for the MAX is seen as critical for Boeing’s reputation and finances, which have been hit hard by a freeze on MAX deliveries as well as the coronavirus crisis.
Airlines and leasing companies have spent hundreds of billions of dollars buying the latest upgrade of the 737, the world’s most-sold passenger aircraft.
Lured by sharp discounts and anxious to help repair the MAX’s reputation around which they have built their fleet plans, some airlines are now stepping in to show commercial support.
Boeing is bracing for intense publicity from even routine glitches by manning a 24-hour “situation room” to monitor every MAX flight globally, and has briefed some industry commentators on details on the return to service, industry sources said.
“We are continuing to work closely with global regulators and our customers to safely return the fleet to commercial service,” a Boeing spokesman said.
Brazil’s Gol Linhas Aereas Inteligentes is planning a media event for the redesigned MAX this month.
The PR efforts are designed to highlight software and training upgrades which the FAA has said remove any doubt about the plane’s safety.
But crash victims’ family members have protested the return to service, saying it is premature before a final investigative report on the second crash in Ethiopia has been released.
Boeing toned down its original plans for the plane’s return as the crisis dragged on longer than it expected - scrapping a high-profile publicity campaign, a ceremony in the Seattle area and a tour using an Oman Air 737 MAX, industry sources said.
United Airlines is expected to receive the first Max delivery since the grounding, a person familiar with the matter said.
Reporting by Tracy Rucinski in Dallas, Texas; Additional reporting by Marcelo Rochabrun in Sao Paulo, Tim Hepher in Paris; Writing by Eric M. Johnson in Seattle; Editing by David Evans, Matthew Lewis and Gerry Doyle
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China coking coal surges as covid throttles Mongolia border www.bloomberg.com

Coking coal prices in China have soared to a four-year high after a new covid-19 outbreak slowed border crossings from Mongolia.
Trucks carrying coal across the border have fallen by about 80% since October amid efforts to control the virus as hundreds of new cases arise in Mongolia, according to analysts with Hexun Futures. The slowdown comes after China barred imports from its other top coking coal supplier, Australia.
“The sharp rise in coking coal is mainly related to the sharp drop in Mongolian coal customs clearance,” Hexun analysts said in the Dec. 1 note. “At the same time, coal mine safety supervision is tightening and the import of Australian coal is still restricted.”
Coking coal futures in Dalian rose 4.1% Wednesday to 1,535 yuan a ton, the highest for the most-active contract since November 2016. The fuel is a key ingredient for China’s world-leading steel industry.
Border traffic is being slowed as customs officers in both Mongolia and China administer health checks to truck drivers hauling coal from pits in the Gobi desert. It’s the second key disruption this year for Mongolia’s coal shipments to China after a six-week halt in February and March.
Mongolia’s GDP for the first three quarters of 2020 declined 7.3% from the previous year, largely as a result of a weaker mining sector. Coal exports through the end of October were 36% lower than in the same period in 2019.
The disruptions on the Mongolian border come after China banned steel mills and power companies from purchasing Australian coal amid souring ties between the two nations.
(By Dan Murtaugh and Terrence Edwards)
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BoM purchases 1.7 tons of precious metal in November www.montsame.mn

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ In November 2020, the Bank of Mongolia (BoM) purchased 1.7 tons of precious metal. Thus, total amount of precious metal purchase has reached 21 tons since the beginning of this year, showing an increase of 6.5 tons compared to the same period of previous year.
19.3 tons of the total purchased precious metal were gold and 1.7 tons were silver.
The BoM branches in Darkhan-Uul and Bayankhongor aimag bought 106.5 kg and 98.7 kg of precious metals respectively in November, bringing total amount to 1.8 tons.
The average price of BoM’s purchase of 1 gram of gold was MNT 170,810.51 in November.
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Mongolia benefits from conflict between China and Australia www.news.mn

China’s coking coal imports fell to a five-month low in October, hit by slowing Australian arrivals following an unofficial ban on coal imports from the country that was imposed in early October.
China imported 5.89 million tonnes of coking coal in October, down by 12.4 percent from 6.72 million tonnes in September but up by 3.5 percent from a year earlier, according to Chinese customs data.
Australian imports fell by 21 percent from a year earlier and by 23 percent from September to 1.53 million tonnes in October, the lowest level in 2020. China warned its state-owned steelmakers and power plants to stop importing Australian coal with immediate effect in early October, injecting more uncertainty into spot markets that had anticipated eased restrictions into 2021.
Imports from Mongolia rose by 14 percent in October from a year earlier to 3.26 million tonnes but fell by 16pc from a record high of 3.89 million tonnes in September. Mongolian imports declined for the first time since the border reopened from late March, as a resurgence of Covid-19 cases closed some parts of the highway.
Canadian imports more than doubled from a year earlier to 405,000 tonnes in October. Chinese mills have been seeking alternatives to Australian coal amid the import ban, particularly the premium low-volatile grade that can be matched by US and Canadian coals. Shipments from Russia also increased, rising by 20 percent from a year earlier to 650,000 tonnes.
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Mongolian coal exports to China paralysed as Beijing demands virus testing of truck drivers www.intellinews.com

Chinese demands that Mongolian haulage drivers be tested for coronavirus (COVID-19) at border crossings have substantially impacted coal exports.
Mongolia went into lockdown on November 12 after, for the first time, the country recorded community transmissions of the virus. On November 23, the number of trucks transporting Mongolian coal into China via the Gashuunsukhait-Gantsmod landport entry in South-Gobi dropped to 211. Two days later, the daily total making it past the tightened customs health clearance process fell to less than 20. The situation was reportedly exacerbated by some drivers who were caught forging test results.
Gashuunsukhait-Gantsmod accounts for more than half of Mongolia's coal exports. Currently, the Tavan Tolgoi-Tsagaan Khad route into China is operating normally. However, short-haul transportations from Tsagaan Khad to Gashuunsukhait are subject to delays.
The Gashuunsukhait border customs agency has approached the Mongolian government and major coal mining companies in a bid to expedite the setting up of a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test lab.
Trucks stuck at border
More than 3,000 coal and other trucks are said to be stuck at the border. Drivers have complained of having to pay out of their own pockets for temporary lodgings and testing for coronavirus. Many have requested permission to turn back from the border and return home, but with Mongolia on lockdown and travel through its regions restricted, their requests were refused.
Mongolia’s Mining Minister Yondon Geleg, meanwhile, has issued an order to mining organisations and officials to provide rapid testing for mining employees and to create safety zones at the main mineral export ports.
Mongolia’s economy is heavily dependent on exporting natural resources, mainly minerals, to China.
In September, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) updated its 2020 growth forecast for Mongolia to a contraction of 2.6%.
Mongolian Finance Minister Khurelbaatar Chimed was actually boasting in early September that Mongolia had exceeded the 2,000-coal-trucks-per-day threshold as regards exports to China. That progress has clearly come to a grinding halt.
Budget exposed to heavy pressure
The Natural Resource Governance Institute has predicted that if Mongolian coal exports face substantial obstacles, heavy pressure will be placed on the state budget. In its report on coronavirus impacts in Mongolia, it stated: “Any new reduction in exports, coupled with the government’s fiscal stimulus, could put exert significant pressure on the balance of payments and the $3.6bn in foreign reserves may quickly dissipate as the central bank tries to keep the Mongolian tugrik afloat.”
Mongolia this year has entered a period in which it must make significant bond repayments.
A swap agreement between the central banks of China and Mongolia was scheduled to end in 2020. In August, the two parties came to an agreement that the swap agreement, based on a Chinese yuan renminbi (CNY) 15bn ($2.2bn) loan, would be extended to 2023.
On November 25, Mongolia’s parliament and the All-China People's Congress convened digitally. Mongolian lawmakers requested that, given the coronavirus crisis, the Chinese cancel or reduce debt owed by Mongolia under the swap agreement. Mongolia has paid a total of CNY4.4bn in interest to China on the debt and it is expected to pay CNY594mn in interest in 2021.
As of November 25, Fenwei Energy's Mongolian washed coking coal price index rose 20 yuan to 1,080 yuan per tonne from a week earlier. The price of raw coal rose by 20 yuan to 880 yuan.
Bloomberg reported: “There is also a shortage of coking coal in China. Leading companies in Shanxi Province, China's leading coking coal producer, have raised the price of low-sulfur coking coal by CNY 70-100 per ton, SXCoal reported. Strict regulations on the safety of coal mines in Shanxi Province will be implemented from December 1. As a result, there are fears that supply may decline in the near future.”
Australian coal ban maintained
China is sticking to its ban on importing Australian coking coal, with the political rows between Beijing and Canberra unresolved. Chinese buyers now very much rely on US and Canadian supplies, but the supplies are limited compared to what Australia used to provide.
Given vulnerabilities in the coal supply chain, China has the incentive to keep the flow of transportations of available coal into the country as smooth as possible. Mongolia needs to address its worsening coronavirus difficulties as promptly and efficiently as it can to ensure that the economy does not pay an unnecessary price.
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Teck looks to boost Chinese coal sales amid stalled Australian shipments www.reuters.com

Teck Resources looks to boost shipments of steelmaking coal to China next year, Chief Executive Don Lindsay said on Tuesday, hoping to take advantage of unofficial curbs on Australian imports that have stranded dozens of shipments.
China has unofficially banned Australian coal imports since October amid souring relations between the two countries, and in turn, increased imports from Mongolia and Russia.
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With somewhere between 75 and 80 cargoes of Australian coal waiting to discharge at Chinese ports, the restrictions have hit prices for Australian coking coal while driving prices higher for their Chinese equivalent, Lindsay said.
“So if you are a producer of non-Australian coal and you are able to free up tonnes from other customers and contractual commitments, you can do quite well by selling to China,” he said at a webcast Scotiabank mining conference.
Last week, Teck said it was restructuring its sales book to target 2021 sales of coking coal to China of about 7.5 million tonnes.
The miner said fourth-quarter sales to China remained within guidance of 5.8-6.2 Mt, with about 20% of these sales now to Chinese customers.
Separately, Lindsay reiterated that Teck would consider offloading its 21.3% stake in Suncor Energy’s Fort Hills oil sands project in the Canadian province of Alberta but said there were no immediate plans to sell it.
(By Jeff Lewis; Editing by Richard Chang)
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China has promised millions of coronavirus vaccines to countries globally. And it is ready to deliver them www.cnn.com

(CNN)Inside a gray warehouse at the Shenzhen International Airport in southern China, a row of white chambers sits in a cordoned-off corner, each fitted with a display screen showing the customized temperature inside.
A security worker in face mask, surgical gown and rubber gloves stands guard. Anyone entering this part of the warehouse has to either complete two weeks of quarantine or wear a head-to-toe hazmat suit.
These climate-controlled rooms, totaling an area of 350 square meters (3,767 square feet), are soon to be filled by rows and rows of Chinese-made Covid-19 vaccines -- after they receive approval from the country's drug regulators. From there, they'll be loaded onto temperature-controlled compartments of cargo jets and flown to continents around the world.
In the coming months, China will be sending hundreds of millions of doses of coronavirus vaccines to countries that have conducted last-stage trials for its leading candidates. Chinese leaders have also promised a growing list of developing countries priority access to its successful vaccines.
This global campaign presents China an opportunity to repair its image, which was damaged for its initial mishandling of the coronavirus outbreak -- rather than being blamed for the primary spread of the virus it can potentially be esteemed for helping to bring an end to the pandemic.
The vaccines can also be used by Beijing as "an instrument for foreign policy to promote soft power and project international influence," said Yanzhong Huang, a senior fellow for global health at the Washington-based Council on Foreign Relations.
Earlier in the pandemic, China's efforts to curry favor by donating masks and other supplies to countries hit hard by the virus were tarnished by reports of poor quality supplies, and accusations that Beijing was launching a disinformation campaign to change the coronavirus narrative.
Beijing's vaccine diplomacy, Huang said, could give it another chance.
"Vaccine Diplomacy"
China currently has five coronavirus candidates from four companies which have reached phase 3 clinical trials, the last and most important step of testing before regulatory approval is sought.
Having largely eliminated the coronavirus inside its borders, Chinese drugmakers had to look abroad for places to test the efficacy of their vaccines. Together, they have rolled out phase 3 trials in at least 16 countries.
In exchange, many of the host countries have been promised early access to the successful vaccines -- and in some cases, the technology know-how to manufacture them locally.
Sinovac Biotech, a Nasdaq-listed drugmaker based in Beijing, has signed deals to provide 46 million doses of its Covid-19 vaccine to Brazil and 50 million doses to Turkey. It'll also supply 40 million doses of vaccine bulk -- the vaccine concentrate before it is divided into little vials -- to Indonesia for local production.
CanSino Biologics, which developed a coronavirus vaccine with a research unit of the Chinese military, will deliver 35 million doses of its vaccine to Mexico, one of the five host countries of its trials.
China National Biotec Group (CNBG), a unit of state-owned pharmaceutical giant China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm), has been less open about its deals. The company's two vaccine candidates are undergoing phase 3 trials in 10 countries, mostly in the Middle East and South America. In the United Arab Emirates, Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum volunteered to be vaccinated in trials and the vaccine was approved for emergency use. The Emirati company in partnership with Sinopharm hopes to produce between 75 and 100 million doses next year.
Sinopharm chairman Liu Jingzhen said last month that dozens of countries have requested to buy the company's vaccines. He did not name the countries or elaborate on the amount of doses they proposed, but he said CNBG was capable of producing more than one billion doses in 2021.
"China not only has the political will (for its vaccine diplomacy), it also has the robust capacity to make that happen," Huang said.
Because China has largely contained the virus, there's no urgent need to vaccinate every one of its 1.4 billion population. "That gives it this leverage ... to make deals with countries in need of the vaccines," he said.
"Health Silk Road"
China's global vaccine campaign is in stark contrast to the Trump administration's "America first" approach, which focuses on vaccinating its own citizens before those elsewhere.
"So far we haven't heard the US saying or suggesting they're gonna earmark a percentage of their vaccine to support poor countries. So that puts China in an even better situation to use the vaccine to serve its foreign policy objective," Huang said.
In October, China joined a World Health Organization-backed global initiative to ensure the rapid and equitable distribution of Covid-19 vaccines to rich and poor countries alike.
The project, known as COVAX, is designed to discourage governments from hoarding coronavirus vaccines and instead focus on vaccinating high-risk groups in every country. But it was shunned by the United States, partly because President Donald Trump did not want to work with the WHO, leaving a global public health leadership vacuum for China to fill.
From early on, Chinese leaders have repeatedly stressed that China's vaccines are for sharing, especially with the developing world.
In May, Chinese President Xi Jinping told the WHO's annual assembly that China would make its coronavirus vaccine a "global public good," calling it the country's "contribution to ensuring vaccine accessibility and affordability in developing countries."
In a video summit with African leaders in June, Xi pledged that "once the development and deployment of a Covid-19 vaccine is completed in China, African countries will be among the first to benefit."
In August, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said Beijing would also give priority access to Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. Other countries that have been promised priority access by Chinese officials include Afghanistan and Malaysia.
Many of these countries are also in Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative, a multibillion dollar infrastructure and trade program that has lost some of its steam during the pandemic. Recently, Chinese officials have ramped up talks of a "Health Silk Road." At the WHO meeting in May, Xi pledged to donate $2 billion over two years to help countries cope with the pandemic. Beijing has also offered a $1 billion loan to Latin America and the Caribbean for access to its coronavirus vaccines.
But there are signs that China's vaccine diplomacy won't always be a smooth ride. In Brazil, Sinovac's vaccine, CoronaVac, has been embroiled in a political feud between President Jair Bolsonaro -- known for his stauch anti-China stance -- and the governor of Sao Paulo, Joao Doria, who is expected to run against Bolsonaro in the country's next presidential elections in 2022. In Bangladesh, Sinovac's trial has been stalled due to a funding dispute.
International public health experts have also questioned China's emergency use program, which inoculated nearly one million Chinese people with experimental vaccines before their safety had been fully proven by clinical trials.
Then there's the question of efficacy. Last month, Pfizer and Moderna announced that early results showed their vaccines to be over 90% effective, while another candidate produced jointly by Oxford University and AstraZeneca had an average efficacy of 70%. So far, none of the Chinese vaccine candidates have announced any preliminary efficacy results, though company executives have repeatedly stressed their safety, insisting no serious adverse effect has been observed in vaccinated volunteers.
Cold storage
Compared with Pfizer and Moderna, Chinese vaccines have a crucial advantage -- most of them do not require freezing temperatures for storage, making transport and distribution much easier, especially in developing countries that lack cold storage capacities.
Kate O'Brien, director of the WHO's immunization and vaccines department, likens the development of vaccines to building a base camp at Everest. "But the climb to the peak is really about delivering the vaccines," she said at a news conference this month.
Both Pfizer and Moderna's vaccines use pieces of genetic material called messenger RNA (mRNA) to prompt the body to make synthetic pieces of the coronavirus and stimulate an immune response -- a new technology that has not been used in existing vaccines.
But mRNA is vulnerable to degradation at room temperature. Moderna's vaccine has to be stored at -20 degree Celsius (-4 degrees Fahrenheit), or at refrigerator temperatures for up to 30 days, while the Pfizer vaccine has to be stored at an ultra-cold temperature of -75˚C (-103˚F), and used within five days once refrigerated at higher temperatures.
Here's a look at how the different coronavirus vaccines work
Here's a look at how the different coronavirus vaccines work
Sinopharm and Sinovac, meanwhile, use an old-fashioned approach that has long been proven effective in other vaccines, such as polio and flu shots. Their coronavirus vaccines employ an inactivated whole virus to prompt the body to develop immunity, and only need to be stored at standard refrigerator temperatures of 2˚C to 8˚C (36˚F to 46˚F). CanSino's vaccine, which uses a common cold virus called adenovirus 5 to carry genetic fragments of coronavirus into the body, can also be kept at 2˚C to 8˚C.
Still, the required temperatures must be maintained throughout transport, from leaving the production facility to airport storage and finally to global distribution.
Cainiao, the logistics arm of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, will help with the distribution of the Chinese vaccines as soon as they're given the go ahead. It says its end-to-end climate controlled infrastructure is in place and ready.
The company has partnered with Shenzhen Baoan International Airport, which recently received the certification for pharmaceutical logistics from the International Air Transport Association. A cold-chain warehouse was built in 2019 for frozen foods and goods. Earlier this year, it was converted to store coronavirus testing kits -- and now vaccines. The airport said on its website that it wants to make Shenzhen a "Covid-19 vaccine global delivery base."
Cainiao is also in partnership with Ethiopian Airlines, which will be sending the Chinese vaccines to the Middle East and then Africa. Since the pandemic, the airline has flown more than 3,000 tons of medical supplies from Shenzhen to Europe, Africa, the Middle East and South America.
But Cainiao is also looking to add more routes for greater global reach, according to its CEO Wan Lin.
"Of course, we are not still quite sure about the exact demand on that but we are definitely building our capability to be prepared for that," Wan said.
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China lands on moon in mission to collect samples from surface www.aljazeera.com

China successfully landed a spacecraft on the moon’s surface late on Tuesday in the first mission to retrieve lunar surface samples in 40 years, said the country’s National Space Administration.
The space agency said the probe had successfully landed on the near side of the moon and sent back images.
US-Russia crew back to Earth in first post-lockdown space mission
China launched its Chang’e-5 probe which is not manned from the southern province of Hainan on November 24. The mission, named after the mythical Chinese goddess of the moon, aims to collect lunar material to help scientists learn more about the moon’s origins and the solar system more generally.
Hua Chunying, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, tweeted that the landing was a “historic step” adding that it would also benefit “international cooperation and the peaceful use of space.”
The mission will attempt to collect two kilogrammes (4.4 pounds) of samples in an area that has yet to be explored on an enormous lava plain known as Oceanus Procellarum, or “Ocean of Storms” and if completed as planned, would make China the third nation to have retrieved lunar samples after the United States and Russia.
The lander vehicle is expected to start drilling into the ground with a robotic arm to collect the lunar material in about two days, according to state media.
The samples will then be lifted into orbit and transferred to a return capsule for the return to Earth, where it is expected to land on land in China’s Inner Mongolia region.
If the mission succeeds it will be the first time scientists have secured samples of lunar rocks since Russia (then the Soviet Union) brought material back in the 1970s.
China sent its first astronaut into space in 2003 and made its first lunar landing 10 years later. In January last year, the Chang’e-4 probe touched down on the far side of the moon, the first space probe from any nation to do so and in July it launched a spacecraft to Mars to search for water.
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Mongolian partners revolt, force Rio into Oyu Tolgoi review www.afr.com

Rio Tinto will be forced to endure an independent review of its failure to meet cost and schedule guidance on Mongolia's Oyu Tolgoi copper project, after the mining giant's less powerful partners in the project united in an extraordinary show of defiance.
The Government of Mongolia and representatives of Canadian company Turquoise Hill Resources worked together on Monday evening to ensure an independent review would be conducted into the blow outs, which will see Rio's most important growth project delivered almost two years late and close to $US1.5 billion over budget.
Multiple sources have suggested that Rio was opposed to the creation of the committee and the independent review, although at the time of publication Rio had not responded to enquiries.
Rio blamed an uncontrollable factor - weaker than expected geology in the underground section of the Oyu Tolgoi project - when it disclosed the blow outs to investors in 2019.
But Rio has been less forthcoming about the degree to which controllable factors played a role in the blow outs; something the Mongolian Government is particularly keen to investigate.
The commissioning of the review is a victory for the Mongolian Government and minority investors in Turquoise Hill, both of which have struggled over the past decade to contend with the powerful hand that Rio has held in the complicated ownership structure of Oyu Tolgoi.
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The unlikely alliance between the Mongolian Government and Turquoise Hill also highlights the risks inherent in Rio's 2012 strategy to acquire majority, but not complete, control of Turquoise Hill.
The theatre for Monday's extraordinary show of defiance was a board meeting of the Mongolian company that directly owns 100 per cent of the mine; Oyu Tolgoi LLC.
That Mongolian company is 66 per cent owned by Turquoise Hill and 34 per cent owned by a Mongolian Government company called EOT.
Rio Tinto chief executive Jean-Sebastien Jacques struck the 2015 Oyu Tolgoi expansion agreement with the previous Mongolian government.
Rio's exposure to the mine comes through its 50.79 per cent stake in Turquoise Hill; a stake that has given Rio firm control of the mine over the past eight years despite having no direct ownership of Oyu Tolgoi LLC.
Rio's power has been enhanced by the fact it is the main financier and technical manager of the mine expansion project, which is set to cost close to $US6.8 billion and is partly funded by a loan from the Australian Government's export credit agency.
The traditional factional alliance within the project - where Rio and Turquoise Hill appointees to the board of Oyu Tolgoi LLC vote together on motions - was broken on Monday night, when directors representing Turquoise Hill and the Mongolian government voted together on a motion to create a ''special committee'' that would oversee an independent review of the blow outs.
Rio has been further disempowered by the fact it will not have majority control of the four person special committee; two committee members will be nominated by the Mongolian government while two will be provided by Turquoise Hill.
The Mongolian government issued a statement saying independent experts would probe Rio's handling of the mine expansion.
''The special committee has been charged with selecting and engaging an independent and reputable firm of experts in the field of project management, mine planning, cost management and other related fields,'' said the Mongolian government in a statement.
''The expert(s) will be tasked with conducting an independent investigation aimed at identifying the causes of the cost overruns and schedule delays and producing a detailed report to be shared with the special committee as soon as possible, and in any event, within 6 months of commencing its investigation.''
'Fully supportive'
A spokesman for Turquoise Hill (TRQ) confirmed to The Australian Financial Review that its representatives on the board of Oyu Tolgoi LLC had voted in favour of the review.
“TRQ fully supports our government partner, EOT, in securing an independent and objective review of the cost overruns and delays announced last year. TRQ’s nominees will serve on the special committee and TRQ is fully supportive of the review process,'' said the spokesman.
Rio Tinto has built the Oyu Tolgoi operation in the vast expanse of Mongolia's South Gobi Desert.
''We believe the independent special committee established in EOT's resolution is consistent with corporate governance best practices, ensures accountability and transparency and will ultimately serve the best interests of Oyu Tolgoi’s owners – EOT and TRQ – as well as our respective stakeholders.”
Turquoise Hill's willingness to demand an independent review of Rio's failings shows the growing distance between the Canadian company and its biggest shareholder.
Turquoise Hill and Rio have clashed over the past month over the best way to source funds to cover the blow outs, with Turquoise Hill keen to use debt.
But Rio has sought to block the use of extra debt, telling Turquoise Hill it must instead conduct a multi-billion dollar equity raising.
Minority shareholders in Turquoise Hill fear that Rio is seeking to cheaply grow its stake in Turquoise Hill through such an equity raising, based on the expectation that Rio would underwrite any shortfall created by minority Turquoise Hill shareholders who do not participate in the raising.
Legal threats
Those fears were articulated on Tuesday by the second biggest shareholder in Turquoise Hill, Pentwater Capital Management, which threatened Rio with legal action if it forced Turquoise Hill into a dilutive equity raising.
Departing Rio chief executive Jean-Sebastien Jacques is often held accountable for the myriad challenges at Oyu Tolgoi, given he was in charge of Rio's copper division when the project was revived in 2015.
But while Mr Jacques was intimately involved in the project and the $US4.4 billion finance facility that has funded the expansion, many of Rio's problems lie in the complicated ownership structure created when Rio's former chief executive Tom Albanese and former chairman Jan du Plessis moved to acquire 50.79 per cent of Turquoise Hill in 2012 rather than 100 per cent.
While that 50.70 per cent stake gave Rio control at the lowest immediate cost, it also consigned Rio to dealing with a group of noisy minority shareholders in Turquoise Hill, who have frequently drawn attention to what they believe are corporate governance failures created by Rio's grip on the company.
The decision to not acquire 100 per cent of Turquoise Hill also left Rio vulnerable to the sort of cross-bench coalition that occurred at Monday's meeting of the Oyu Tolgoi LLC board.
The Mongolian government's insistence on owning an equity stake in the mine is also unusual by international standards, and has created headaches for Rio.
Unable to fund its share of construction costs, the Mongolian government has relied upon Rio to cover its share of costs, under an arrangement that is effectively creating a debt that will be repaid by the government through dividends from the mine once it is built and operating.
Rio might find it more expensive to raise debt for its Mongolian copper mine after the Asian nation was "grey listed" by developed economies.
Responsibility for a portion of the construction costs has made the Mongolian government extremely sensitive and suspicious about any cost blowout on the project, hence this week's request for an independent review.
Mr Jacques openly noted during his time as Rio chief executive that the ownership structure of Oyu Tolgoi was not ideal, and the Mongolian government flagged in 2019 that it would consider swapping its 34 per cent equity stake in the mine for a special royalty.
Such a scenario would give Rio direct and enhanced control over the mine and ensure the developing nation gets a share of the mine's wealth sooner, but one year after the idea was publicly floated, a deal has proved elusive.
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