[Source/Observer Network, Wang Kaiwen] According to a report by the South China Morning Post on April 8, the Mongolian Parliament (State Great Khural of Mongolia) has recently approved an agreement for the construction of a new cross-border railway between Mongolia and China. The report pointed out that amid Trump's tariff war against the world, Mongolia hopes to establish closer ties with its southern neighbor, China.
The report noted that this 19.5-kilometer-long Gashuusuhaitao-Ganqimadu cross-border railway had been shelved for more than ten years but has made new progress in recent months. Once built, it will increase Mongolia's coal exports to China.
Mongolia's First Deputy Prime Minister Gantumur told the South China Morning Post earlier this year that the intergovernmental agreement reached with China was "one of the top priorities on the agenda." He said that the construction of the cross-border railway would start this year and is expected to be completed by 2027, at which time the coal transport centers on both sides of the border will also be built.
Gantumur said that the Gashuusuhaitao-Ganqimadu cross-border railway project had been delayed due to the slow development of Mongolia's railway industry and some misunderstandings about the daily operation of railways.
The report pointed out that as Mongolia seeks to strengthen its economic independence through increased coal exports, this cross-border railway between China and Mongolia has become a priority for the country.
According to previous reports from Xinhua News Agency, Chinese leaders met with Mongolian Prime Minister Oyun-Erdene, who was attending the closing ceremony of the Ninth Asian Winter Games in Harbin, on the afternoon of February 14.
Mongol News Agency reported on February 14 that the two parties signed the "Agreement Between the Government of Mongolia and the Government of the People's Republic of China on the Construction of the Cross-Border Connecting Railway of the Gashuusuhaitao-Ganqimadu Port" after their meeting.
Mongolia's Prime Minister Oyun-Erdene (center), Mongol News Agency
Oyun-Erdene said that this railway is the first project among the 14 major projects of the Mongolian government, and he expressed thanks on behalf of the Mongolian government to President Khurelsukh and Chairman of the State Great Khural Amarbayasgalan, among others, for providing political support for reaching the agreement, and thanked the Chinese government.
Oyun-Erdene introduced that discussions on the railway project began in 2004, and after 60 rounds of negotiations over the 17-year period since 2008, the National Security Council of Mongolia proposed three consultations, the State Great Khural put forward six recommendations, and the government issued 45 resolutions before the final resolution was achieved.
Mongol News Agency stated that the Gashuusuhaitao-Ganqimadu cross-border railway is the second cross-border railway agreed upon by the two countries since the 1955 agreement on the Zamyn-Uud-Erenhot railway, thus holding historical significance.
On March 28, the plenary session of the Mongolian State Great Khural reviewed and approved the "Agreement Between the Government of Mongolia and the Government of the People's Republic of China on the Construction of the Cross-Border Railway of the Gashuusuhaitao-Ganqimadu Port, Coal Trade, and Expansion of the Tavan Tolgoi Coal Mine Capacity" submitted by the government.
"The approval of the agreement indicates the unanimous support of the parliament for the project," Oyun-Erdene said in a statement. "This cooperation will unlock valuable export and investment opportunities, release the natural resources of Mongolia, and attract new investments."
Sumiya Chuluunbaatar (Sumiya Chuluunbaatar), a non-resident researcher at the Institute of International Issues of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences, told the South China Morning Post that this cross-border railway project will increase trade between Mongolia and China and "can be seen as a step towards economic stability."
"Against the backdrop of Trump's protectionist policies potentially disrupting global trade, the cross-border railway agreement appears to be a strategic move by Mongolia to support its economic development, particularly by strengthening trade with China," Chuluunbaatar said.
The report noted that official data showed that last year, Mongolia exported 83.7 million tons of coal, and it is expected that after the cross-border railway begins operations, the country's coal transportation capacity will increase by 30 million tons, with the economic growth rate有望 reaching over 6%.
China is Mongolia's largest trading partner, with bilateral trade between the two countries reaching $19.047 billion in 2024, accounting for 69.5% of Mongolia's total foreign trade during the same period. Of this amount, Mongolia imported $4.641 billion worth of goods from China, accounting for 40% of its total imports during the same period; Mongolia exported $14.406 billion worth of goods to China, accounting for 91.3% of its total exports during the same period.
On the other hand, the South China Morning Post pointed out that the China-Mongolia cross-border railway is the latest step in China's series of measures to build a regional railway network and strengthen relations with neighboring countries.
In addition to the China-Mongolia cross-border railway, three other cross-border railways that China is involved in also made breakthroughs in February.
On February 4, the Thai Cabinet approved the advancement of the second phase of the Thailand-China high-speed rail project, namely the construction from Nakhon Ratchasima Province to Nong Khai Province. On February 19, the Vietnamese National Assembly voted to approve the Ministry of Transport's proposal for the Laicheng-Hanoi-Hai Phong railway project connecting Vietnam and China.
On February 21, the China Railway International Co., Ltd. Kyrgyzstan Branch released the "Pre-Qualification Announcement for the Engineering General Contracting Project of the Preliminary Construction Section Three Tunnels of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railway (Kyrgyzstan Section)." The preliminary work of the Kyrgyzstan section of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railway is about to officially commence.
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