COVID-19 means development setbacks for Mongolia: a UN Resident Coordinator’s blog www.news.un.org

Mongolia has recorded very few cases of COVID-19, less than 300 as on date, despite its more than 4,000 kilometre porous border with China. However, the country faces a major economic impact from the pandemic, says Tapan Mishra, the UN Resident Coordinator in Mongolia.

The general picture of the COVID-19 situation in Mongolia is very positive. The Government of Mongolia closed all educational institutions including kindergartens, schools and universities at the beginning of the year. It also introduced strict measures on social distancing, such as a ban on public gatherings, limiting public transportation, closing public spaces such as gyms, and making the wearing of masks in public compulsory. Travel has been very limited, including a complete ban on any international travel by road, rail, or air.

Mongolia has been very vulnerable to the pandemic, not only because of its physical proximity to China and Russia including close links and dependence for economic interests, but also due to its own inadequate health care system.

Despite these challenges, there has been no local transmission reported (cases have been limited to patients importing the virus), and I would say that the leadership of the country has dealt well with the pandemic.

Another factor that has helped in making Mongolia’s response a success story, is that the citizens of the country have diligently complied with the government’s directives and regulations. The requirements to wear masks, ensure good hygiene, such as frequent hand-washing, and physical distancing, have been seriously adhered to. Even during the Tsagaan Sar, the Mongolian Lunar New Year in February, they complied with government orders, and did not even visit their extended families and elders, which is a tradition for Mongolian families.

Mongolian students adjust to remote learning　
Several UN agencies are physically present in Mongolia, with more providing support from outside. In response to the COVID-19 crisis, the UN bodies came together under the leadership of the office of the Resident Coordinator, and we have been following the World Health Organization’s response plan, and the UN’s humanitarian and socio-economic response plans. This has involved setting up a socio-economic task force, and identifying the needs and priorities of the most vulnerable people in Mongolian society.

The UN Country Team has utilized well the $1 Million UN Secretary-General's COVID-19 Response and Recovery MPTF (multi-partner trust fund) allocation, for supporting the Government of Mongolia in improving the national testing capacity, and have more supplies of personal protective equipment. We have been also supporting development of the digital learning curriculum to enhance the quality of online learning, as children have not been able to go to school for around six months.

We stand ready to support the Government in every possible way, from their health, humanitarian, and socio-economic response plans, to their longer-term economic recovery.

The economic fallout
We do not know the full impact the pandemic is having yet, but we know it is significant. For instance, in the first quarter of 2020, the economy contracted by 10.7 per cent, and government revenue fell by 8.6 per cent year on year, whilst expenditure went up 19.3 per cent.

National Center for Communicable Diseases (NCCD) team.
Mongolia has a large amount of debt , which means that there is an increased risk of defaulting on debt. According to the IMF, GDP is also expected to fall sharply to minus one per cent this year, down from 5.3 per cent in 2019.

To bolster the economy, the Government approved economic stimulus packages, worth over 10 percent of GDP, which included several measures to support vulnerable groups, including cash benefits; mortgages, consumer and business loan repayments were deferred; and the mortgage rate was reduced.

Development setbacks
Unfortunately, it is highly likely that the pandemic will set back the progress we have been making in Mongolia. The Government took early, effective action against the spread of COVID-19, but the increased borrowing, amid an economy hit by reduced exports, means that it will be difficulty to recover from the socio-economic impacts of the crisis.

In collaboration with the IMF, World Bank and other partners, we are conducting detailed studies to look at the real impacts, but we are also working with the Government of Mongolia to ensure that the recovery plans do not leave anyone behind.

I only hope that donors provide the funding that is needed to support the most vulnerable people in Mongolia, and help to ensure that the post-pandemic recovery benefits all members of society.

District in Western Mongolia on Quarantine Over Suspected Bubonic Plague Case, Reports Suggest www.sputniknews.com

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Former Mongolian PM sentenced to five years for abuse of power www.news.mn

Former Mongolian Prime Minister S.Bayar was sentenced to five years in prison on Thursday (23 July) for abuse of power.

Former spy chief sentenced to three years in prison for torture www.news.mn

The trial of nine people including B.Khurts, the controversial former director of Mongolian’s General Intelligence Agency (GIA) and former Attorney General G.Erdenebat concluded yesterday (22 July) at the Tuv Province Criminal Court after five days of hearings. B.Khurts was sentenced to three years in prison for using torture to obtain confessions in the investigation of the murder of politician S.Zorig and others.

Ongoing energy projects discussed with WB www.montsame.mn

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ Minister of Energy N.Tavinbekh together with some officials of the energy ministry held a virtual meeting with World Bank representatives headed by WB Senior Energy Specialist, Task Team Leader Peter Johansen.

"11,951 Mongolians abroad wish to return home immediately" www.montsame.mn

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ Since the time when quarantine regime was put into effect in Mongolia, a total of 67,290 citizens have returned to Mongolia from 44 countries , the Operative Staff of the State Emergency Commission (SEC) reported.

Tesla offers “giant contract” to responsible nickel miners www.mining.com

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Brave NEMA officers save 260 people from drowning www.news.mn

In order to prevent people drowning in the Tuul, which flows through Ulaanbaatar, officers from the National Emergency Management Agency have been patrolling the river with by boats. A total of 1149 officers with 230 boats and vehicles are patrolling in the river between Khar Usan Tokhoi in Gachuurt Villa and the Yarmag Bridge.

US arrests three Chinese nationals for visa fraud www.bbc.com

The US has charged four Chinese nationals with visa fraud for allegedly lying about their membership of China's armed forces.

Three are under arrest while the FBI is seeking to arrest the fourth, who is said to be in China's San Francisco consulate.

FBI agents have also interviewed people in 25 US cities who have an "undeclared affiliation" with China's military.

Prosecutors say it is part of a Chinese plan to send army scientists to the US.

Members of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) applied for research visas while hiding their "true affiliation" with the military, US justice department attorney John C Demers said in a press release.

"This is another part of the Chinese Communist Party's plan to take advantage of our open society and exploit academic institutions."

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The arrests come after the US announced a Chinese scientist had taken shelter in the San Francisco consulate, and the day after US officials ordered the closure of China's mission in Houston, saying it was involved in stealing intellectual property.

Media captionMen were filmed acting suspiciously at China's consulate in Houston on Tuesday
On Thursday - before the arrests were announced - Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin described the US allegations as "malicious slander" and said China "must make a necessary response and safeguard its legitimate rights".

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly clashed with China in recent months, over trade, the coronavirus pandemic and the new Hong Kong security law.

Hours after the charges were announced US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo denounced a "new tyranny" from China.

Speaking at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library in California, Mr Pompeo called on "on every leader of every nation" to stand up to China, adding that securing freedoms from the Chinese Communist Party was "the mission of our time".

All the Chinese nationals are said to have lied about their service in the PLA, either stating they had never served in the military or no longer served.

Wang Xin was arrested on 7 June after questioning by Customs and Border Protection agents at Los Angeles International Airport. He disclosed that he remains a PLA member, and works at a military university lab, the justice department release said, having stated on his visa that he had left the military in 2016.

Prosecutors allege that Ms Song claimed to be a neurologist who had left the armed forces but in reality was still affiliated with PLA Air Force (PLAAF) hospitals in China, while Zhao Kaikai claimed never to have served in the military but in fact was a member of a top PLA research institution.

Ms Tang is thought to be a member of the PLAAF. An agent found photos of her in military uniform and evidence that she worked at an air force medical university.

She also allegedly wrote on her visa application that she had never been in the military.

FBI agents have also interviewed people in 25 US cities who have an "undeclared affiliation" with China's military, the justice department said.

What is happening at China's consulates?
The arrests come two days after China's consulate in Houston came under scrutiny.

Footage showed people throwing what appeared to be paper into flaming bins. Emergency services were called to the building but Houston police say they were not granted access.

On Wednesday, the administration gave China 72 hours to close the consulate "to protect American intellectual property and Americans' private information".

The consulate is one of five in the US, not counting the embassy in Washington. China described the closure as a "political provocation".

What is stoking tensions between China and the US?
There are a number of flashpoints between Beijing and Washington. Some of the most serious are:

Coronavirus: President Trump has repeatedly referred to Covid-19 as the "China virus". and alleged it originated from a Chinese laboratory, despite his own intelligence officers saying it "was not manmade". In response, Chinese officials have suggested, without evidence, that Covid-19 might have originated in the US
Trade: Mr Trump has long accused China of unfair trading practices and intellectual property theft. The US and China have engaged in a tit-for-tat tariff war since 2018 as a result of the dispute
Hong Kong: China's imposition of a sweeping new national security law in Hong Kong in June led the US to revoke the region's preferential economic treatment. Beijing has accused the US of "gross interference" in its domestic affairs, promising it will retaliate
South China Sea: The two countries have also clashed over Beijing's pursuit of offshore resources in disputed waters, with Mr Pompeo calling it a "campaign of bullying".

Mongolia reports 426 negative COVID-19 tests, one more recovery www.xinhuanet.com

Mongolia conducted 426 COVID-19 tests in the last 24 hours, with all results returning negative, the country's National Center for Communicable Diseases (NCCD) said Thursday.