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1 1 (December 19, 2019)

handle is hein.crs/govbewy0001 and id is 1 raw text is: 01;0i E.$~ & gogn, q goo g , q as ' X 11LULANJILiN, Updated December 19, 2019 Mongolia Mongolia is a landlocked nation of 3 million people between Russia and the People's Republic of China (PRC). It has been viewed as a democratic success story both among former Soviet satellite states and in Asia. In 1989, democratic activists staged protests against communist rule and formed the Mongolian Democratic Union. The Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (MPRP), which had ruled the country since 1921, allowed multiparty elections in 1990 and relinquished power in 1996, when a Democratic Party (DP)-led coalition of opposition forces won nationwide elections. Mongolia's foreign relations are driven by a desire to preserve its autonomy by balancing relations between major partners, including the United States, China, and Russia, and also Japan and South Korea. Its economy is supported by extensive mineral resources, but growth remains uneven, driven by fluctuations in mineral and petroleum prices. The United States established diplomatic relations with Mongolia in 1987, and Mongolian leaders describe the United States as Mongolia's most important third neighbor-countries that do not border Mongolia but have close relations with it. Polling indicates Mongolian perceptions of the United States are largely positive. Mongolia's relations with its former patron Russia remain close, and many Mongolians regard Russia with some affection. At the same time, they remain wary of China, their largest economic partner. Mongolia's official relations with China largely have been amicable, with the exception of periods of tension and pressure from Beijing following visits to Mongolia, a traditionally Tibetan Buddhist country, by the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader whom the PRC government asserts aims to split Tibet from China. The Declaration on the Strategic Partnership between the United States and Mongolia, released in November 2019, states that relations between the two countries have grown stronger and closer based on common strategic interests, shared democratic values, good governance, principles of sovereignty, and respect for human rights. The Department of State's Congressional Budget Justification for Foreign Operations, FY2019, states, The primary goals of U.S. assistance to Mongolia are to ensure the United States remains a preferred partner over geographical neighbors Russia and China and to give Mongolia greater latitude to chart an independent foreign and security policy. Mongolia participates in United Nations global peacekeeping operations and has over 1,000 peacekeepers deployed in Africa. Mongolia sent troops to Iraq from 2003 to 2008 and currently has over 200 troops in Afghanistan supporting Coalition operations. U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and the Mongolian Armed Forces (MAF) hold an annual multinational peacekeeping exercise in Mongolia known as Khaan Quest. Khaan Quest 2019, the 17th such event, focused on peacekeeping and stability operations and involved 900 MAF personnel, 220 U.S. military personnel, and participants from 29 other countries including China. In July 2019, Mongolian President Battulga met with President Trump in Washington, DC. The two governments agreed to establish a Strategic Partnership and pledged to cooperate on promoting democratic values and human rights, maintaining security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, addressing transnational threats, increasing bilateral trade and investment, and other common objectives. In August 2019, Mark Esper, in his first foreign trip since being confirmed as Secretary of Defense, traveled to the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar and met with senior government leaders. In April 2019, the Mongolia Third Neighbor Trade Act was introduced in the House (H.R. 2219) and Senate (S. 1188). The act would authorize certain textile and apparel items made of cashmere from Mongolia to be imported duty-free. Supporters of the bill argue that it would help reduce Mongolia's economic dependence upon China and help Mongolia to develop its own garment industry. Figure I. Mongolia at a Glance CP,') U4 ta~e *O 3 . . . . . . . . . . .... - . Reli :s &ddhk {S:: 4%, :dr Sources: Central intelligence Agency, The World Factbook, 2018. Map created by CRS, 2018. Mongolians participate in programs of the Open World Leadership Center, a U.S. congressional agency whose mission is to introduce rising leaders of 17 Eurasian countries to U.S. governing and free market systems. Mongolia's legislature is one of 21 parliaments worldwide that have partnered with the U.S. House Democracy Partnership, a bipartisan commission of the U.S. House of Representatives that works to strengthen democratic institutions by assisting legislatures in emerging democracies.

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