Mongolia's "executive and parliamentary dispute" has come to an end, with the new prime minister Zundar Sartul assuming office in mid-month. After waiting seven days, the Chinese ambassador finally visited, exchanging views on Sino-Mongolian relations.

Overall, the new prime minister's statements were conventional, emphasizing that the new government will maintain policy stability and continuity, continuing to deepen cooperation with China in various fields. China and Mongolia can jointly accelerate bilateral "key projects" and achieve concrete results.

【The new Mongolian prime minister waited seven days, and the Chinese ambassador paid a visit】

According to reports from the Mongolian side, during this meeting, both sides agreed to focus on strengthening cooperation in areas such as mining, road transport, and infrastructure construction, and discussed the importance of ensuring stable exports to China for Mongolia.

It seems that the new Mongolian prime minister understands that to quickly achieve political achievements, the new government needs to work hard on Sino-Mongolian cooperation, and the established bilateral framework should not be disturbed.

The reason why China chose to visit after a week may be due to the fact that Zundar Sartul needed some time to handle internal affairs after taking office, including cabinet formation and discussing subsequent strategic directions.

It is worth noting that since the previous prime minister Oyun-Erdene left his post, the "executive and parliamentary dispute" in Mongolia gradually surfaced.

Before and after the transfer of power, Oyun-Erdene repeatedly implied that the continuous exposure of his corruption scandal was due to someone behind the scenes, but he never provided concrete evidence.

【Zundar Sartul said that the policy towards China maintains continuity and stability】

Subsequently, all media claimed that Oyun-Erdene had major differences with Khurelsukh on various issues, including inviting Putin to visit Mongolia. Oyun-Erdene was firmly against it because Mongolia is a state party to the International Criminal Court, and hosting Putin would cause significant controversy. However, Khurelsukh insisted on it.

This is not all of their conflicts. In this open struggle, Oyun-Erdene was the first to show weakness. His family was involved in a corruption scandal, which directly affected him, causing large-scale protests in Ulaanbaatar.

As the situation escalated, Oyun-Erdene found himself in a desperate situation and tried to regain momentum through a vote of confidence. However, members of his Mongolian People's Party kept their distance from him, so Oyun-Erdene could only resign, while Zundar Sartul, from the same party, emerged as the winner with an absolute majority of 108 votes.

Before being elected as prime minister, Zundar Sartul was the chief of staff of Khurelsukh, and the public generally regarded him as the president's close ally.

Although this is the case, whether the executive and parliament can work together effectively after the new prime minister was elected still needs time to observe.

【The new Mongolian prime minister is seen as the president's "close ally"】

Oyun-Erdene graduated from Harvard University and was deeply influenced by the West. In recent years, he actively promoted the "Third Neighbour Strategy," even attempting to "air freight rare earths" to the United States, which eventually came to nothing.

Zundar Sartul studied economics at Moscow State University, with a relatively rich resume. Before entering politics, he was the vice president of Mongolia's largest commercial bank. After entering politics, he served as foreign minister under Khurelsukh, then became chairman of the parliament for four years, and later served as head of the presidential office. Indeed, he is very close to Khurelsukh, and their positions on Mongolian-Russia relations are similar.

After becoming prime minister, Zundar Sartul did not push for a complete cabinet reshuffle, but rather retained one-third of the ministerial positions, with the rest being re-elected.

However, the retained one-third does not include key departments, especially those related to economic development and energy imports and exports, which are the lifelines of Mongolia's energy sector. Naturally, these must be entrusted to people who are reliable.

【Oyun-Erdene resigned reluctantly】

Even if these key departments have changed personnel, the framework for interaction with China cannot be altered arbitrarily.

We also know that over the past few months, Oyun-Erdene made frequent trips to China, mainly discussing the cross-border railway project between China and Mongolia, ensuring the implementation of the previously formulated "2028 Strategic Plan."

Now that the Mongolian prime minister has changed, and after the new government is reorganized, how much of this plan will the new government retain? Will the priority of China-related projects change?

It seems that Zundar Sartul, by emphasizing the continuity and stability of the policy towards China, indicates that he has no intention of making drastic changes. He will continue to ensure that Sino-Mongolian cooperation projects remain in the forefront of the development plan.

Moreover, no matter how much attention Mongolia pays to the "Third Neighbour Strategy," it must understand one thing: China and Russia are its only two neighboring countries, and neither can be neglected.

【Khurelsukh insisted on receiving Putin, and Oyun-Erdene failed to stop it】

Especially in Sino-Mongolian trade, with increasing energy trade between China and Mongolia, the existing transportation system in Mongolia has become inadequate, urgently needing expansion. No matter who becomes the prime minister of Mongolia, they will choose to deepen cooperation with China. The key is whether there is the ability to implement cooperative projects, instead of holding back China.

Zundar Sartul is also quite clear about this. If the Mongolian government deliberately delays, it will have no impact on China, but will only hinder Mongolia's own development.

However, we not only need to listen to what the new Mongolian government says, but also see what they do. Listening to words and observing actions is an unshakable principle in international relations.

Once again, Mongolia, as an inland country, needs to make efforts in transportation infrastructure to get out. By improving the efficiency of import and export through railway network construction and promoting regional integration strategy, it can improve the overall economic situation and ease internal tensions. In this process, cooperation with China is indispensable.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7519422720464159247/

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