Xi's Mongolia visit lauded as significant to bilateral ties

BEIJING -- Chinese President Xi Jinping's fruitful visit to Mongolia is of great practical significance to the further development of bilateral relations, officials and experts said.

The just-concluded two-day trip, which embodies the philosophy of "amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness" in China's diplomacy with its neighbors, has also infused new vigor into regional development, they added.

Mongolian Deputy Prime Minister Dendev Terbishdagva, who also co-chairs the Mongolia-China intergovernmental commission, said the speech Xi delivered Friday at the Mongolian parliament impressed him a lot.

What Xi said about Chinese history and world peace helped better understand China's policy of peaceful development, said the senior Mongolian official.

Xi citation of the proverb that "If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go with others" showed that China will support the development of its neighboring countries, Terbishdagva added.

Mongolia and China are good neighbors and good friends, and what Xi remarked on China-Mongolia and international relations are extremely important, he said.

Sanjaasuren Oyun, Mongolia's environment and green development minister and also a lawmaker, said Xi's speech was "cordial and friendly, deep and comprehensive."

Mongolia and China are neighboring countries and the development of each of them is important to that of the other, she said, adding that the deepening of bilateral ties will set an example for other Asian countries.

Migeddorj Batchimeg, a Mongolian lawmaker, said Xi's speech elaborated China's Mongolia policy, specified Mongolia's standing in China's foreign policy, and blueprinted the development of bilateral ties in the next decade.

In the eyes of Alexander Larin, a senior researcher with the Institute of Far Eastern Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, China, as a major country in the world, is showing its strength by broadening economic relations with other countries.

China has established a series of diplomatic strategic plans, among which building a community of shared destiny and interests is directly related to Mongolia, Larin said.

The joint declaration signed by Xi and Mongolian President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj shows that China considers Mongolia as a completely equal partner, the researcher said.

Upgrading China-Mongolia ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership, Larin added, will help the two countries deepen cooperation in various areas for the benefit both nations and also their international reputations.

Jabin Thomas Jacob, deputy director of India's Institute of Chinese Studies, said Xi's short but fruitful visit to Mongolia on Thursday and Friday showed a comprehensive upgrade of diplomatic, economic and trade relations between China and Mongolia.