Tibet dispute behind as China speaks of increased mutual trust with Mongolia

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Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi with the Mongolian Foreign Minister Damdin Tsogtbaatar. (Photo courtesy: SCMP)
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi with the Mongolian Foreign Minister Damdin Tsogtbaatar. (Photo courtesy: SCMP)

(TibetanReview.net, Dec06, 2017) – China said Dec 4 that Mongolia’s reiteration that it will firmly adhere to the one-China policy and respect China’s core interests and major concerns on issues related to Tibet, Xinjiang and Taiwan was ‘very important’ and had ‘increased the two sides’ mutual trust’, reported the country’s official Xinhua news agency. The report said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi had made the remark during talks with visiting Mongolian Foreign Minister Damdin Tsogtbaatar.

China froze or considerably scaled down diplomatic and business relations with Mongolia in anger against the visit of Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, to capital Ulaanbaatar over Nov 18-23, 2016.

Following the development and Mongolia’s moves to restore ties, China said Jan 24 that Mongolia’s Foreign Minister Tsend Munkh-Orgil had reiterated to his counterpart Wang Yi that the Dalai Lama will not be granted a visa again over a telephone conversation initiate by the former. Xinhua Jan 24 also cited Wang as saying Mongolia shall draw lessons from the Dalai Lama’s visit and respect China’s major concerns and core interests.

Now, following his meeting with his Mongolian counterpart, Wang has said, “China and Mongolia are friendly neighbors,” and that the new Mongolian government, following a recent election, had sent a clear message to the Chinese side on maintaining mutual trust and properly handling sensitive issues, and that the country had expressed a strong desire to deepen cooperation with China.

The report also said both sides had agreed to coordinate the Belt and Road Initiative with Mongolia’s Prairie Road development initiative, build a cross-border economic cooperation zone and begin feasibility research for a China-Mongolia free trade agreement. Also, both have agreed to push forward the construction of the China-Mongolia-Russia economic corridor.

China will continue to support the Mongolian side to overcome economic difficulties with free assistance and loans programmes, the report added. China had frozen a much-needed loan amount to Mongolia after the Dalai Lama visit.

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