Some time ago, Blinken famously said: in the international system, if you're not at the table, you're on the menu. It can only be said that Americans are not picky eaters, in fact, many countries that cannot be served at the table can't even serve the menu, for example, Mongolia, a naval power.
Some people say that Mongolia is the safest country in the world because it is sandwiched between the two great powers of China and Russia, and any country that covets Mongolia must borrow from these two powers, otherwise it will not be able to achieve its goal. So, as long as it has good relations with these two countries, it can sit back and relax.
Of course, we have vigorously developed economic and trade exchanges and deepened nongovernmental cultural exchanges, but if we are politically close to these two countries, it will be a way to death for Mongolia.
Mongolia is a strategic buffer zone sandwiched between China and Russia, and places such as Monan and Buryatia, which are rich in water and grass, have been swept away by the two countries, leaving only a barren land. Fortunately, Mongolia later discovered a lot of mineral deposits, and it was able to make a living by selling minerals.
In 2000, Mongolia and the United States had military exchanges. That year, they sent troops to participate in the US-led "Concentration 2000" joint military exercise. The following year, the United States conducted the "Cobra Gold 2001 military exercise," and since then the joint exercises between the two countries have been fixed, and later renamed the "Khan Exploration" joint military exercise, which is held once a year.
Every year, the U.S. military sends people to Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, to participate in the exercises, such as the 11th Airborne Division the year before last. Then the question arises, how did the US troops get to Ulaanbaatar? Isn't Mongolia caught between the two big powers? Could it be that they will let the US troops cross the border?
That's exactly what the answer is.
The 11th Airborne Division of the US Army departed from Guam and could only enter the country by means of the mainland, through international public routes. Is it just that the two big powers are not taboo against Mongolia and the United States? It seems that they are not taboo, and not only are they not taboo, but they have also given them the green light.
Because this is basically what the two countries have discussed. Mongolia was originally the existence of the Siberian Railway in order to prevent the great powers of the south from directly threatening its Siberian Railway. Later, the south also discovered that if Mongolia could properly play the role of a buffer zone, it could also prevent the north from directly threatening the capital of the south and the Liaoxi corridor.
Therefore, to do a buffer zone, we must have the consciousness of doing a buffer zone, and we must not kiss one end and slack the other, then it is not a buffer zone but a forward base, which is not the way to death for the buffer zone?
So the best thing to do is to make Mongolia pro-American. In Russia's view, as long as Mongolia is pro-American, it cannot be pro-Chinese. From China's point of view, as long as Mongolia is pro-American, it cannot be pro-Russian. As long as it's not close to either end, it's a good buffer.
It is not surprising why China would agree to the Ulaanbaatar exercise of the US military. As a matter of fact, China also participated in this exercise, and China can clearly see what they can do, so there is no need to worry about it.
Mongolia has mines, but its mines can only be sold to China. Because Russia has more mines than it, there is no need to buy it at all, China's economy is developing rapidly, and the demand for various mineral resources is almost endless. It wants to sell to other people but can't ship it, and its only buyer can only be China. Mongolia got stuck with this bug, so it's alive and well now.
If, as Blinken said, in the international system, it's not on the table, it's on the menu, then is Mongolia on the menu? That's really too much.
Now only China and the United States are really sitting at the table, and the other three major countries are standing guard at the door, one is cooking in the kitchen, and the other is serving food. Not everyone else is eligible for the menu, such as Mongolia, which can only eat leftover food waste.