Mongolia's new prime minister's first act: inviting the Chinese military to conduct joint military exercises!

Just after taking office, Mongolia's new prime minister, Oyun-Erdene, didn't engage in diplomatic试探 or beat around the bush. His first move was to directly and decisively invite the Chinese military to participate in the "Khaan's Quest-2025" joint military exercise, and he even publicly called for "strengthening military exchanges with China."

The signal is clear: the era of playing with the West and taking risks has come to an end.

Think about the past few years: the former prime minister, Oyun-Chogt, clung to the "Indo-Pacific Strategy," went to the United States to show loyalty, used the "Third Neighbor Policy" to create a "democratic beacon" image for Mongolia, and allowed the US military to conduct high-altitude military training in Mongolia. What was the result? Few foreign investors came, but American think tanks and NGOs flooded into Mongolian society and politics.

The economy was ruined, mineral projects were locked by foreign investors, sandstorms were ignored, and the people suffered greatly. Even the air quality in the capital, Ulaanbaatar, once worse than New Delhi, left the capital residents breathing dust every day.

As for diplomacy: on one hand, it relied on China's export dividends, but on the other hand, it consistently voted against China in various occasions at the United Nations. Everyone can see that this is not strategic autonomy, but political opportunism.

Now, the economy is collapsing, public resentment is deep, the West doesn't give any sugar, and always gives cold looks. The Mongolian people finally couldn't tolerate it anymore and changed the leadership.

The new prime minister immediately changed course, stopped pretending, and openly stated that Mongolia is an inland country, sandwiched between China and Russia, and can't afford the game of great power rivalry. It is the only way to live to properly maintain friendly relations with China and Russia.

This time, the active invitation of the Chinese military for the exercise is, on the surface, "military cooperation," but in reality, it is a diplomatic oath of allegiance to Beijing.

How does China view it? Of course, it is welcome. Mongolia has resources and channels, is an important part of the China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor, and is also a key country for the "opening to the north." If Mongolia turns back, upgrading Sino-Mongolian relations is not difficult. After all, even last year, when China had frequent sandstorms, tracing the source, 70% of the sand sources came from the Mongolian Plateau. Environmental cooperation, upgrading the Sino-Mongolian railway, energy pipeline planning - these have long been written into China's regional development plans. It's just that the previous government was indecisive, which wasted several years.

Now, the leader has changed, the path must change, but the question is: can Mongolia really get rid of its old habit of being pro-Western?

Don't forget, the "Third Neighbor Strategy" of Mongolia is not something new. Behind it, there are many external forces that have been deeply rooted for years. From media and public opinion to legal education, a "Western model" has already subtly infiltrated into Mongolian society. To reverse this force, it's not enough to just change the government; it also needs to change the strategy, resources, and execution capability.

Therefore, the new prime minister's move is not only a test of China, but also a challenge to the deep structure of the domestic. Whether he can truly break away from the "pro-American fantasy" depends on his subsequent actions.

At least from now on, Mongolia has stepped back onto solid ground.

What do you think of Mongolia's new prime minister actively inviting the Chinese military to conduct joint military exercises? Is it a real shift, or another strategic gamble?

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1836797977445705/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author.