News Story: 1,100 peacekeepers participate in multinational exercise in Mongolia

ULAN BATOR, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Some 1,100 peacekeepers from 26 countries took part in the annual multinational peacekeeping exercise code-named "Khaan Quest-2017," which kicked off on Sunday at the training center of the Armed Forces of Mongolia in Tavan Tolgoi, 60 km from Ulan Bator.

Khaltmaa Battulga, president of Mongolia and commander-in-chief of the Mongolian Armed Forces, stressed that Mongolia will continue its contribution to strengthening security and peace in the world during the "Khaan Quest-2017" exercise from July 23 to Aug. 2.

This year's event is specific in field maneuvers at the level of military units and information processing training to repel cyberattacks.

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Story: Downsizing S. Korea-U.S. military exercise is huge leverage for N. Korea - ex-diplomat

SEOUL, June 29 (Yonhap) -- The option of scaling down the annual joint military exercise between South Korea and the United States is huge leverage in reining in North Korea's nuclear weapons ambition, a former career diplomat said Thursday in a forum hosted by Yonhap News Agency.

"I think the scale of the South Korea-U.S. joint exercise could be revised down or readjusted" on the condition that North Korea stops its nuclear and missile tests, freezes its production of weapon-grade plutonium and uranium as well as shutting down its nuclear facilities in Yongbyon and letting the International Atomic Energy Agency to inspect the country, Shin Bong-kil, formerly a diplomat of 30 years, said in a forum co-hosted by Yonhap News Agency and the Ministry of Unification.

The annual forum was held to discuss the Moon Jae-in administration's vision for peace and unification of the Korean Peninsula.

Referring to his attendance at a semi-governmental meeting held between North Korea and the South Korea-U.S. side a month earlier in Stockholm, Sweden, the former ambassador to Jordan, said that "From what I have heard there, the thing more painful for North Korea than international sanctions it is now facing was the joint South Korea-U.S. military exercise."

"Given that the recent talk of the possibility of (U.S.) pre-emptive attacks and a (South Korean contingency) operation to decapitate Kim Jong-un put North Korea in a state of sever alertness, it is huge leverage," Shin said, referring to the option of downsizing the joint Key Resolve and Foal Eagle exercises the allies carry out every spring in South Korea.

Read the full story at YonhapNews

News Story: Japan, N. Korea diplomats briefly meet in Mongolia

TOKYO (Kayodo) -- Japanese and North Korean diplomats met briefly on the sidelines of an international conference in the Mongolian capital Ulan Bator, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said Friday.

Shigeki Takizaki, deputy director general of the ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, met Ri Yong Pil, deputy head of the North Korean Foreign Ministry's Institute for American Studies, on Thursday and told him that Tokyo cannot tolerate Pyongyang's nuclear and missile development, it said.

Read the full story at The Mainichi

News Story: Beijing's new weapon in economic war - Chinese tourists

By Allison JACKSON

Slapping import bans on products like mangoes, coal and salmon has long been China's way of punishing countries that refuse to toe its political line.

But Beijing has shown that it can also hurt others by cutting a lucrative Chinese export: tourists who normally flock to South Korea or Taiwan.

China's recent boycott of South Korea over a US anti-missile shield on the Korean peninsula signals a growing aggression in the way it flexes its economic muscles, analysts say.

Beijing has banned Chinese tour groups from going to the South, hammering its tourist market and the duty-free shops of retail giant Lotte Group, which has been targeted for providing land for the controversial defence system.

Dozens of Lotte stores were closed in China and protests held across the country as Beijing ramped up pressure on Seoul to abandon the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, which it sees as a threat to its own military capability.

Lotte also suffered setbacks in several of its Chinese ventures -- from the government-ordered halt of a $2.6 billion theme park project to apparent cyberattacks on company websites.

"If you don't do what Beijing's political leaders want they will punish you economically," said Shaun Rein, founder of Shanghai-based China Market Research Group.

"They put the economic vise on politicians around the world. They have been doing it for years and it works."

Seoul-based tour operator Korea-China International Tourism has reported an 85 percent drop in tourists in recent months, which its founder attributes to China's anger over THAAD.

The company usually receives 4,000 mostly Chinese visitors a month, but that has fallen to around 500 after Beijing warned tourists about the risks of travelling to the South, and ordered Chinese tour operators to stop sending groups there.

Read the full story at SpaceDaily

News Story: Turkey, Mongolia seek to join Asean

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – Turkey and Mongolia have expressed interest in joining the Association of Southeast Nations (ASEAN) and their leaders have asked President Duterte to pave the way for their entry into the regional group. 

The President said that he had separate talks with both Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Mongolian Prime Minister Jargaltulga Erdenebat on the sidelines of the Belt and Road Forum held recently in Beijing, China. 

“They also want to join ASEAN,” the President said upon arrival before dawn yesterday at the Davao International Airport after his trips to Cambodia, Hong Kong and China. 

Read the full story at PhilStar

India: Indo - Mongolian Joint Exercise - Nomadic Elephant

Twelfth iteration of Indo - Mongolian Joint Military Exercise Nomadic Elephant is presently underway at Vairengte from 05 April 2017 till 18 April 2017. 

Mongolian Army is represented by nine officers and 36 soldiers of the elite 084 Special Forces Task Battalion while Indian Army is represented by a contingent comprising of three officers, four JCOs and 39 soldiers of the Jammu & Kashmir Rifles. 

Nomadic Elephant is aimed at training the troops in Counter Insurgency & Counter Terrorism Operations under the United Nations mandate. 

The joint training will also lay emphasis on conducting operations by a joint subunit, comprising of troops from both the armies, in adverse operational conditions aimed at enhancing the interoperability between the two armies. 

Indian Press Information Bureau

News Report: Dalai Lama of Discord: China-India Ties Put to the Test by Buddhist Head's Visit

Tenzin Guyaso: The 14th Dalai Lama
(Image: Wiki Commons)

It seems that the Tibetan leader, the Dalai Lama, is poised to play a more active role in public policy, which may tarnish ties between China and its immediate neighbors, Russian expert on China Andrey Karneyev told Sputnik.

In an interview with Sputnik, Russian expert on China Andrey Karneyev specifically pointed to the exiled Tibetan leader's growing public activity which he said may finally lead to a chill in China's relations with neighboring countries.

The interview came after Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying lashed out at India's decision to invite the Dalai Lama to an international conference on Buddhism, which was endorsed by the Indian Culture Ministry.

According to Hua Chunying, India ignored China's "serious statements" and insisted on the Dalai Lama's participation in the international conference on Buddhism organized by the Indian government.

"The issue of the Dalai Lama's [activities] has recently become a factor that could worsen the relations between Beijing and New Delhi," Andrey Karneyev said.

News Story: India to conduct joint military exercises with several countries

NEW DELHI, March 24 Xinhua) -- Indian government Friday said it was going to conduct joint military exercises with several countries including China, United Kingdom, Russia and United States this year to boost military ties and enhance bilateral defence cooperation

The information was given India's junior minister for Defense Subhash Bhamre in the parliament.

"Military exercises are to be conducted with Australia, Bangladesh, China, France, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, Russia, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, Thailand, United Kingdom and United States of America during the year 2017," Bhamre told parliament.

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Story: Chinese FM urges Mongolia to draw lessons from Dalai Lama visit, respect China's core interests

BEIJING, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Tuesday that Mongolia shall draw lessons from the Dalai Lama's visit last November and respect China's major concerns and core interests.

Wang made the remarks over a telephone conversation with his Mongolian counterpart, Tsend Munkh-Orgil, at the latter's invitation.

The Chinese minister said the development of China-Mongolia relations, which is in line with the fundamental interests of the two countries and two peoples, has been overshadowed by the negative impacts of the Dalai Lama's visit.

Wang said that Mongolia has reflected deeply upon the visit and made an explicit promise not to allow the political exile to visit the landlocked Asian nation again.

Mongolia shall keep its promise and make practical efforts to improve the China-Mongolia relationship, the top Chinese diplomat added.

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Story: China urges Mongolia to eliminate negative impacts of Dalai Lama visit

Tenzin: The 14th Dalai Lama (Image: Wiki Commons)

BEIJING, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- China on Sunday urged Mongolia to eliminate the negative impacts of the Dalai Lama's visit and refrain from disturbing the healthy development of China-Mongolia ties.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said regardless of China's repeated dissuasions, the Mongolian side insisted inviting the Dalai Lama for visit.

China voices strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to the Dalai Lama's visit to Mongolia, said Geng.

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Story: China, Mongolia hold 9th defense consultation

ULAN BATOR, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- The Ninth Sino-Mongolian Defense and Security Consultation was held here Tuesday, focusing on exchanges of views on military cooperation between the two countries.

The dialogue was co-chaired by Sun Jianguo, deputy chief of the Joint Staff Department of China's Central Military Commission, and Bat-Ochir Batsaikhan, state secretary of Mongolia's Ministry of Defense.

Both sides exchanged views on relations and practical cooperation between the two militaries, the regional security situation and other issues of common concern.

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Story: Chinese premier calls for closer China-Mongolia partnership

ULAN BATOR, July 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Wednesday called for closer China-Mongolia ties to bring more benefits to the people of both countries.

Calling China and Mongolia "good neighbors and great partners," Li said in a signed article, published by major Mongolian news outlets ahead of his official visit to the landlocked Asian nation, that friendly collaboration between the two countries has been picking up steam in recent years.

Bilateral ties are currently at the "best ever" level in history, said Li, who arrived in Ulan Bator later on Wednesday, adding that he hopes his visit will serve to further deepen cooperation and forge stronger bonds between the two countries.

In his first trip to Mongolia since taking office in 2013, Li is scheduled to hold talks with Mongolia's new prime minister, Jargaltulga Erdenebat, and meet with Mongolian President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj and Chairman Miyegombo Enkhbold of the State Great Hural, Mongolia's parliament.

He will also attend the 11th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) summit in Ulan Bator on Friday and Saturday.

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Story: Asia-Europe summit to boost security and economic cooperation - Malaysian expert

KUALA LUMPUR, July 13 (Xinhua) -- The upcoming Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit is expected to boost cooperation in security and economic cooperation between Asian and European countries, a Malaysian expert said on Wednesday.

One significant area for Asia-Europe cooperation would be in the security field, as both Asian and European countries are facing increasing threat from terrorism, said Oh Ei Sun, senior fellow at S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies of Singapore's Nanyang Technological University.

"We have seen terrorist activity in both European countries as well as a number of Asian countries, it appeared that nobody is immune as a victim," he told Xinhua.

"So if we could enhance information exchange and intelligence exchange between the law enforcement authorities between Asian as well as European countries, hopefully we could lower the risk of terrorism."

Another key area for cooperation is the economy. "The spiraling down of the world economy would necessitate closer cooperation between the Asian and European countries," said Oh, pointing out that Asia had seen tremendous growth in recent years while Europe still possesses the technology advantage.

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Story: Maritime disputes loom large as US, China hold talks

By Nicolas REVISE

Mounting tensions over South China Sea territorial rows could overshadow US-China talks in Beijing Monday, after the two global powers exchanged barbs over the disputed waterway.

China claims nearly all of the sea despite competing declarations by several Southeast Asian neighbours and has built artificial islands suitable for military use in the South China Sea.

Washington has responded by sending warships close to Chinese-claimed reefs, angering Beijing.

Tensions mounted after the South China Morning Post reported last week Beijing could establish an air defence identification zone (ADIZ) over the sea -- which would require civilian aircraft to identify themselves to military controllers.

On a trip to Mongolia Sunday, US Secretary of State John Kerry said the establishment of such a zone would be considered "a provocative and destabilising act".

"We believe that it is critical that no country move unilaterally to militarise the region," he told reporters in Ulan Bator.

Kerry arrived later Sunday in Beijing for the two-day "Eighth US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue", which will also be chaired by US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew, Chinese State Councillor Yang Jiechi and Vice Premier Wang Yang.

The meeting follows an Asian security summit in Singapore Sunday attended by US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, where the South China Sea dispute was front and centre.

"The South China Sea issue has become overheated because of the provocations of certain countries for their own selfish interests," Admiral Sun Jianguo said at the meeting.

Despite the terse exchanges, Kerry insisted this week's dialogue with Beijing was about cooperation, not discord.

"Some people want to try to create a sense of tension and clash, but I think it's much more important to be working on the things that we can do to cooperate together and to make a difference," he told Hong Kong's Phoenix TV in an interview aired Sunday.

He highlighted areas of collaboration between the global superpowers, including on the Iran nuclear deal, combating Ebola in west Africa and supporting UN sanctions against North Korea, Beijing's traditional ally.

Read the full story at SpaceDaily

News Story: Kerry to head to China for talks

 US SecState: John Kerry

Top US diplomat John Kerry will travel to Beijing for talks on a range of issues as part of a trip that will also take him to Mongolia and France, the State Department said Monday.

The June 5-7 visit comes at a time of heightened tensions between Washington and Beijing over the Asian giant's military expansion in the South China Sea.

The United States disputes China's sovereignty in the region and has conducted several "freedom of navigation" operations in which it deliberately sails or flies close to the islands, attracting the ire of Beijing.

Kerry will be in the Chinese capital starting Sunday for the eighth US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue, for which he will be joined by US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew, State Department spokesman John Kirby said.

Read the full story at SpaceDaily

News Story: Mongolia kicks off annual peacekeeping drill

ULAN BATOR, May 22 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia kicked off its annual multinational peacekeeping drill on Sunday, with an eye to boosting military-to-military interoperability on peacekeeping missions.

Military personnel from 47 countries in five continents have arrived in Tavan Tolgoi, a Mongolian military training ground about 65 kilometers away from Ulan Bator, capital of Mongolia, for the military exercise code-named "Khan Quest 2016."

The drill, which focuses on peacekeeping and military-humanitarian actions and coordination, consists of four parts this year -- command post exercise, field training exercise, engineering civic action program projects and cooperative health engagement events.

Read the full story at Xinhua

Editorial: Northeast Asia, Trust and the NAPCI

Image: Flickr User - The White House

By Heajin Kim

Can Park Geun-hye’s Northeast Asia Peace and Cooperation Initiative (NAPCI) build trust in a tense region?

In contrast to Europe, Asian countries have struggled with what President Park Geun-hye calls the “Asian Paradox.” In other words, Asian countries have fallen short of political and security cooperation despite deep economic integration.

To overcome the paradox, Park proposed the Northeast Asia Peace and Cooperation Initiative(NAPCI) as she took office in 2013. Two years later, it is a good time to review how distinctive NAPCI is, why it has been successful, and what the road ahead will be if it wants to leave a lasting mark in the region. NAPCI’s distinctive characteristics help it attract substantial regional and global interest, but it undoubtedly faces challenges down the road.

NAPCI is part of Park’s larger trustpolitik policy of replacing conflict and discord in the region with dialogue and cooperation. By fostering an arena for dialogue and cooperation at multiple levels, NAPCI aspires to build trust in the region over the long term so that peace and prosperity can be sustained. As a multilateral institution, NAPCI has won the support and participation of major countries in the region, include the United States, Japan, China, Russia, and Mongolia. At present, North Korea is not participating, but by encouraging it to, NAPCI could eventually help defusing tensions on the Korean Peninsula. Moreover, NAPCI does not aim to replace existing multilateral international institutions, but rather looks for complementary and cooperative relations.

Read the full story at The Diplomat

Editorial: The Trouble With China-Mongolia Relations

By Bochen Han

China and Mongolia are becoming closer politically and economically, but what do their citizens think?

In the joint statement issued last week during the final day of Mongolian President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj’s three-day visit to China, the China-Mongolia relationship is touted as being the “best ever” in history. China-Mongolia relations have indeed grown more intimate in recent years. Just last year China upgraded its relationship with Mongolia from a mere “strategic partnership” to a “comprehensive strategic partnership,” which covers security and political cooperation.

It’s no secret that Mongolia is heavily dependent on China. According to 2015 data from Trading Economics, China accounts for 89 percent of Mongolia’s exports and 26 percent of its imports. The slowdown of the Chinese economy in fact affected the Mongolian economy so badly that the government has considered bureaucrat employment and salary cuts and sales of company shares in state-owned sectors like postal service and energy. In the words of founder and director of the research firm Independent Mongolian Metal & Mining Research Dale Choi, “when China sneezes, [Mongolia] gets a cold”.

Perhaps most tellingly of the relationship, Mongolia cancelled a visit by the Dalai Lama last year in favor of a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping, a move sources claim was the result of pressure from China.

But while Mongolian and Chinese leaders and businessmen may be taking all possible steps to not antagonize each other, the story is more complex from the perspective of their citizens.

Read the full story at The Diplomat

Editorial: US, Japan and Mongolia - Don’t Forget Asia’s Other Trilateral

By Prashanth Parameswaran

The three countries held their inaugural trilateral meeting in New York last week.

As I have written previously, the past few years have witnessed the strengthening of several trilateral mechanisms in the Asia-Pacific, including U.S.-Japan-India and U.S.-Japan-Australia (See: “Why the ‘New’ US Trilateral Dialogue with Japan and India Matters”). One of the more neglected ones in the mix has been the U.S.-Japan-Mongolia trilateral.

The U.S.-Japan-Mongolia trilateral is an outgrowth of Ulaanbaatar’s long held close relationships with both countries, partly of its ‘third neighbor policy’ aimed at cultivating relationships with other important states to reduce its dependence on its two neighbors, China and Russia (though it should not be forgotten that Mongolia also has a separate trilateral with Beijing and Moscow). Japan has been Mongolia’s largest aid donor since the 1990s, and U.S.-Mongolia relations, first established in 1987, have strengthened due to recent developments including Ulaanbataar’s support for U.S.-led efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The rise of the trilateral between the three democracies is also yet another manifestation of the more active role Mongolia is seeking to play in the region and world under President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj. His tenure has witnessed the rise of several Mongolia-led initiatives, from the birth of regional institutions like the Ulaanbataar Dialogue on Northeast Asian Security to a willingness to play a role in mediating role between North Korea and the international community.

Read the full story at The Diplomat

Editorial: Can South Korea Fix Northeast Asia’s Cooperation Deficit?

South Korean president Park Geun-hye and Japanese premier
Shinzo Abe join U.S. President Barack Obama at a 2014
trilateral meeting.

By Van Jackson

Seoul’s new multilateral initiative ought to be welcomed in spite of its limits.

Northeast Asia has a regional cooperation deficit, and a new South Korea-proposed institutional process seeks to address it. Although welcome in principle, it holds little prospect for transforming Northeast Asian security dynamics. It will inevitably generate opportunities for China to try to undermine the regional liberal order and the U.S. alliance network. It may even negatively impact efforts to denuclearize North Korea.

And yet, for all its flaws, Northeast Asia’s newest institutional process has a chance to achieve something that may be impossible without it: preventing competition in geopolitics from permanently overriding cooperation in non-competitive domains.

Geopolitics in Northeast Asia is a high-stakes game whose basic logic is well understood by its players. Whether the Korean DMZ, the Dokdo/Takeshima dispute, the Taiwan Strait, Chinese claims of influence over the Yellow Sea, or the Japan-held Senkakus, all of today’s Northeast Asian flashpoints have existed largely unchanged for decades.

The region’s frozen conflicts create acute competitive security dynamics that tend to dominate all else. In such an environment, the risk of conflict is high, and all players have strong incentives to demonstrate strength and resolve. Northeast Asia more closely resembles a realist security environment—in the classical, structural, and neoclassical sense—than perhaps any other sub-region in the world.

Read the full story at The Diplomat