#精品长文创作季#
International trade is an important guarantee for the country's economic development, and the ocean is an important channel for the trade of various commodities.
Countries with long and narrow coastlines will inevitably have a greater say in international trade.
However, if you look at the world, there is such a kind of country, all of them are surrounded by countries, and they are 108,000 miles away from the ocean.
This kind of country, which does not have the advantage of being near the sea, is like an island sitting on the mainland.
If you want to trade with other countries, you must have friendly relations with your neighbors and use their seas to communicate with the outside world.
Such a country is a landlocked country, and the world's first and second largest landlocked countries also share borders on the mainland, namely Kazakhstan and Mongolia.
Both Kazakhstan and Mongolia need to use the railways and ports of neighboring countries to achieve foreign trade, and China, as a large coastal country, is naturally the object of choice.
However, Kazakhstan has achieved economic development through Chinese ports, while Mongolia has encountered difficulties in borrowing mainland ports.
What's going on here?
First, the export of landlocked countries has become a major problem
As the world's largest landlocked countries, Kazakhstan and Mongolia are facing serious challenges and problems in terms of exports.
First of all, in terms of geographical location, two countries are severely constrained.
Since these two countries do not have direct ports to the sea, they have to carry out international trade through railways and ports with their neighbors, which makes them very restrictive.
This will require both countries to expend energy and financial resources to build rail systems in neighbouring countries that can be used for transport, while at the same time paying a fee for the use of ports in neighbouring countries.
If there is a problem with the geopolitical situation with its neighbors, it will inevitably increase the difficulties of its export trade, which will have an impact on the domestic economy.
And all this requires the support of the country's economic strength and resources.
The construction of railways and ships requires a lot of money, and in order to improve the efficiency of transportation, it is also necessary for the country to continuously improve its own transportation technology, which also needs the support of economic strength.
In addition, the type of resource also involves the mode of transportation, which is also crucial for foreign trade.
Kazakhstan and Mongolia are both neighbors of China and also need to rely on Chinese ports for foreign trade.
On the map, Mongolia is the closest to China's ports, while Kazakhstan needs to pass through most Chinese cities to be able to transport goods to the ports.
However, the situation between the two countries is completely different when they use Chinese ports to export goods.
It is understood that the ports used in Kazakhstan are very easy to go to sea, but Mongolian goods are often stuck at the Erenhot port.
So what exactly did Kazakhstan do to make it so easy to get to sea?
2. China became the port of Kazakhstan
Geographically, Kazakhstan is located in the middle of Asia, bordered by China to the east, Russia to the north, and other Central Asian countries to the south.
Kazakhstan is the world's largest landlocked country due to its lack of transportation, and its lack of coastline limits its access to the sea.
Although Kazakhstan is able to trade in and out of the Mediterranean Sea through the Caspian Sea to the west, it is not easy for Kazakhstan to gain more trade because the European market is dominated by countries such as the United States and Russia.
As a result, Kazakhstan has set its sights on the East Asian market, especially developed countries such as Japan and South Korea.
If you want to export your goods to the East Asian market, the most convenient way is to use Chinese ports.
Today, Lianyungang in Jiangsu Province is an important support point for Kazakhstan to go to sea.
Lianyungang is one of the first coastal open cities in the mainland, and it is also a comprehensive transportation hub in the country, through which Kazakhstan can directly enter the Pacific Ocean and realize its own trade. China has also provided a lot of convenience for the use of ports in Kazakhstan.
China has promoted the facilitation of customs clearance for Kazakhstan's export trade and improved the efficiency of Kazakhstan's exports.
In addition, it also provides financial services for Kazakhstan and provides financial service support to related enterprises.
The main reason why the mainland is so supportive of Kazakhstan's use of Chinese ports is that the two countries have extensive cooperation in many fields.
Kazakhstan is a very important exporter of resources in Central Asia and a very important international market for China.
The cooperation between the two sides will certainly promote more trade between the two countries, thereby promoting the economic development of the Central Asian region.
China's provision of ports to Kazakhstan is actually aimed at increasing the diversity of its exports.
The mainland has been expanding into more trading partners and avoiding relying too much on a single country.
Cooperation with Kazakhstan will expand more trade directions and opportunities for China, which is key to maintaining China's economic stability.
It can be said that Kazakhstan has achieved a win-win situation for both countries with the help of Chinese ports.
Mongolia, which is also a neighbor of China and a landlocked country, has not been so convenient in terms of using Chinese ports, but has encountered many difficulties.
3. Why is it difficult for Mongolia to export through China?
It is known that Mongolia has only two neighbors, Russia and China.
Russia's high latitudes and the presence of ice in winter limit the use of ports to the sea, which can only be exported using expensive icebreakers.
Therefore, Mongolia decided to use China's ice-free ports to achieve international trade.
After years of development, China's ports have a high level of internationalization, and the logistics operation mode of ports has become more mature.
Through such an international and professional port, it will inevitably be possible to achieve the development of Mongolian trade, but from a practical point of view, the process of Mongolia borrowing mainland ports is not all smooth sailing.
First of all, it is because Mongolia's infrastructure is not perfect.
To date, the infrastructure of border crossings between Mongolia and China has not been completed, which makes the customs clearance of goods in Mongolia very inefficient.
Although the construction of the Uliji-Chagandelek border crossing is now being stepped up, it will take some time for it to be truly opened.
In addition to this, Mongolia's economic strength also limits the development of its export trade.
Mongolia's limited economic power has led to a loss for China in the signing of contracts.
Mongolia's failure to fulfill its contracts with the mainland has not only left a bad impression on China, but has also created a crisis of trust between the two sides.
Foreign trade is very important to Mongolia, but it is often unreasonable to make demands.
Mongolia has requested a free lease of the Chinese port of Tianjin for 50 years.
Such a request is obviously an "empty glove white wolf", and the mainland naturally rejected its unreasonable request.
In addition, Mongolia's political relationship with the mainland is also very delicate.
Because Mongolia's only neighbors are China and Russia, Mongolia has always wanted to find a third neighbor through Western countries.
This complicates relations with China and Russia, with direct implications for Mongolia's use and cooperation in the ports of the two countries.
It is important to know that China has always hoped to maintain friendly development with its neighbors and achieve better development through cooperation with other countries.
We can help Mongolia and Kazakhstan develop their foreign trade, but we must also act in our own self-interest while helping them.
Fourth, China's good-neighborliness and friendship really need to put itself first
China uses its ports to other countries, on the one hand, to reach friendly and cooperative relations with other countries, and on the other hand, to promote our own industrial upgrading and transformation.
With the help of the respective advantages of both parties, to achieve mutual benefit and win-win results.
But on this basis, it must be based on the country's economic security and its own development, as can be seen in the cooperation with Kazakhstan and Mongolia.
Export trade is an important "driver" in the mainland's troika, and the mainland has always attached great importance to it.
The high-quality development of ports is not only a highlight of the mainland's strength, but also an important way to enhance the mainland's international competitiveness.
Therefore, the mainland will never tolerate some situations that affect the development of ports and threaten their own interests.
The construction of China's ports is closely related to the overall development strategy of the country, and the "Belt and Road" initiative has promoted the modernization and internationalization of mainland ports.
Mongolia's proposal for free lease not only makes the mainland need to bear high human and financial costs, but also may affect the development of mainland ports.
Therefore, although the mainland is a good-neighborly and friendly country, we will never tolerate any behavior that affects the interests of the mainland, and only mutual benefit and win-win results are the fundamental goals we pursue.
China's development is inseparable from the peace and stability of its neighboring countries, and the development of neighboring countries can also promote China's economic prosperity.
However, in the process of cooperating with other countries, we must firmly safeguard our sovereignty, security and development interests.
If we encounter acts that harm China's interests, we will inevitably resolutely fight back.
epilogue
Kazakhstan and Mongolia are geographically similar, but there are gaps in geopolitics, economic strategy and international cooperation.
Kazakhstan's access to Chinese ports is mainly due to the deepening of cooperation with China, which Mongolia is somewhat lacking in.
If Mongolia wants to have access to the sea similar to Kazakhstan with the help of Chinese ports, it will have to do more in infrastructure, diplomatic relations and international cooperation.
China has always been a good-neighborly and friendly country, but good-neighborliness and friendship should also be considered for its own economic development and seek more benefits and advantages for itself.
So do you think China will be able to provide Mongolia with ports for export trade? Welcome to leave your valuable views in the comment area.
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Resources:
Xinjiang Finance & Economics, 2018, Research on the Level of China-Kazakhstan Trade Facilitation under the Background of the Silk Road Economic Belt
People's Daily Overseas Edition 2023-04-17 "China's Port Prosperity Helps Unimpeded Global Trade (Expert Interpretation)"
Yangpu Government Affairs 2020-09-29The Development Experience of the World's Major Free Trade Ports and the Future Development Strategy of China's Free Trade Ports
Xinhua News Agency 2023-10-24 "China's Peripheral Foreign Policy Outlook in the New Era (Full Text)"
Xinhuanet 2011-09-23 Xinhua International Commentary: China's Three Good Neighbors