Xi urges Russia and Mongolia to block ‘external interference’, forge closer ties

While China and Russia have enhanced their economic and security ties as both face growing geopolitical pressure from Western countries, Mongolia – historically a de facto buffer zone between the two nuclear giants during the Cold War – has seemingly placed greater emphasis on its “third neighbour” foreign policy.

By that approach, the landlocked Asian country has worked to develop partnerships with the United States, Japan, South Korea and the European Union to diversify its diplomacy, trade and security relations beyond Beijing and Moscow.

As the strategic rivalry between Beijing and Washington has continued to intensify over trade and technology, with rare earths – critical to semiconductor and clean energy sectors – now a key bargaining chip, Mongolia’s vast mineral wealth has elevated the country’s strategic significance in the global political landscape.