According to the website of China's Ministry of National Defense, according to the annual cooperation plan between the Chinese and Mongolian militaries and the consensus reached by both sides, the Chinese side will send battalion-sized troops, carrying various types of weapons and wheeled equipment to Mongolia to participate in joint army training. The joint training between the Chinese and Mongolian armies, codenamed "Grassland Partners-2024", is the first joint training of the two armies. The training aims to further deepen strategic mutual trust and practical cooperation between the Chinese and Mongolian militaries, with the goal of injecting positive energy into the maintenance of regional peace and stability. The exercise will begin at the end of April and end in late May and will last for nearly one month.
This joint training is the second military exchange between the Chinese and Mongolian militaries after a lapse of nearly half a year. On November 10 last year, according to the annual China-Mongolia border exchange and cooperation plan, the two militaries held a joint exercise "Border Cooperation-2023" in the China-Mongolia border area near Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture in Xinjiang.
This series of military activities reflects the determination of China and Mongolia to strengthen military exchanges and deepen cooperation. In order to promote long-term peace and stability in the region, the two countries are willing to strengthen ties between them in resolving regional issues and maintaining security. The strengthening of military cooperation between China and Mongolia cannot be ruled out to be related to its geostrategic value. Mongolia is located in east-central Asia, bordering China to the east, south and west, and is also a landlocked country between China and Russia. Such a geographical space has unique geostrategic significance for the Mongolian nation and state, and affects the geostrategy of China and Russia, Northeast Asia and Central Asia.
In this context, the strengthening of military exchanges between China and Mongolia is of special significance to stabilizing the border situation between the two countries. During Mongolian Prime Minister Oyun Erden's visit to China in June last year, Chinese leaders pointed out that China and Mongolia are developing countries with similar positions and extensive common interests in many international and regional affairs. China's high-level remarks are intended to show that Mongolia should deeply understand the complexity of international politics, and as an independent and sovereign state, Mongolia should find a balance in state-to-state relations, adhere to an independent foreign policy, and maintain close cooperation with China while establishing good relations with the United States to ensure that its national interests are not harmed.
It is reported that China and Mongolia have extensive space for cooperation, and have made remarkable achievements in economic development and scientific and technological innovation, showing great vitality. China has long been Mongolia's largest trading partner, and in November last year, China and Mongolia signed eight key economic cooperation projects. In an exclusive interview with the South China Morning Post, Oyun Erden said that in the future, Mongolia will maintain good relations with China and further strengthen economic and trade ties between the two sides. All kinds of indications show that under the current international situation, the necessity and importance of strengthening a series of bilateral cooperation between China and Mongolia have become more prominent.
It is understood that Mongolia has always been committed to implementing a diversified foreign policy and actively promoting friendly and cooperative relations with various countries, including the United States. In the political, economic, and cultural fields, the United States and Mongolia have carried out a series of active cooperation. Because Mongolia has a special strategic value, the United States will help to deal with China by wooing Mongolia. In order to further realize its conspiracy to contain China, the United States plans to establish a military base in Mongolia.
In this regard, the Minister Counsellor of the Mongolian Embassy in Russia, Unubilgat has said that the country has ruled out the possibility of establishing an American military base on its territory. According to the Mongolian constitution, no military bases of other countries will be established in Mongolia, and the willingness of the United States and the West to involve Mongolia in the game against its partners is not feasible and should not be concerned about this.
Mongolia's rejection of the US request to open a military base on its territory and its large-scale joint training with China are sufficient to show that its foreign policy has not completely tilted toward the United States, and it highlights Mongolia's strong will to further strengthen development cooperation with China.