China’s rail ambitions receive another boost as Mongolia approves new line

Mongolia’s parliament has ratified a deal with China to jointly construct a new cross-border rail connection between the two countries, as it looks to forge closer ties with its southern neighbour amid US President Donald Trump’s tariff war.

Construction of the 19.5-kilometre (12.1-mile) railway – which will allow Mongolia to ramp up its coal exports to China – had been held up for over a decade, but the project has gained fresh momentum in recent months.

Gantumur Luvsannyam, Mongolia’s first deputy prime minister, told the Post in an interview earlier this year that the intergovernmental agreement with China was “one of the top items in the agenda”.

“Construction work will start this year and it’ll be completed in 2027,” he said, adding that coal terminals on both sides of the border would also be completed by then.

The move is the latest in a series of steps forward for China’s attempts to build a pan-regional rail network to boost ties with its neighbours.