Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/. Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China Li Zhanshu paid an official visit to Mongolia on September 10-12 at the invitation of Chairman of the State Great Khural G.Zandanshatar.

During his 3-day official visit, the China’s top legislator met with Mongolian President U.Khurelsukh and Prime Minister L.Oyun-Erdene and held official talks with his counterpart G.Zandanshatar.

During the official talks, the Speakers mutually agreed on the quota for coal exports from Mongolia to China to be 40-70 million tons annually until the end of 2025 within the framework of achieving the goal of mutually beneficial long-term sustainable development of cooperation in the mining sector. The Mongolian Speaker put forth a request on establishing a long-term agreement on the trade of coal between Mongolia and China and extending the currency swap agreement.

In turn, the Chinese Speaker pledged to pay special attention and support the request made by the Mongolian side.

The official talks between the two sides also touched on several issues of bilateral relations and cooperation such as ratifying the “Intergovernmental Agreement on Railway Transit Cooperation” signed by the two countries in 2014 and advancing major projects and programs including the construction project on the gas pipeline connecting China and Russia through Mongolian territory and construction of Altanbulag - Zamyn-Uud highway.

The two parties also exchanged views on international issues of mutual interest.

At the end of the meeting, Chairman of the State Great Khural Zandanshatar was invited to pay a visit to China at his convenience.

At the outset of the meeting with the President, Mr. Li Zhanshu conveyed the greetings of Chinese President Xi Jinping, while noting that the visit is being paid with the aim of implementing the issues previously agreed upon by the heads of state of the two countries, intensifying the cooperation of the highest legislative bodies, and expanding and developing relations in all fields.

Asking the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China to convey his greetings to President Xi Jinping, President Khurelsukh expressed his satisfaction with the successful development of bilateral relations and cooperation and the frequency of high-level reciprocal visits even during the difficult times of the pandemic.

The President then highlighted that the visit of the Chairman of the Standing Committee makes an important contribution to strengthening and enriching the comprehensive strategic partnership, including the cooperation between the highest legislative bodies.

When meeting with Prime Minister Oyun-Erdene, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China Li Zhanshu expressed his pleasure to meet with the Prime Minister and conveyed the greetings of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.

He said that Mongolia and China are friendly neighbors connected by mountains and rivers, and he is satisfied that bilateral relations and cooperation continue to develop even during the pandemic, maintaining the frequency of high-level and high-level mutual visits, and deepening the development of cooperation in all fields. In addition, he emphasized that the Chinese side stands ready to continue to work closely with the Mongolian side in the future in light of expanding and developing relations and cooperation between the highest legislative bodies and creating a favorable legal environment for cooperation.

Underscoring that the development of good neighborly relations and mutually beneficial cooperation with China is the top priority of Mongolia’s foreign policy, Prime Minister Oyun-Erdene expressed willingness to intensify cooperation with China in improving the capacity of border checkpoints, increasing the volume of mineral exports, and accelerating the construction projects in infrastructure and energy within the framework of Mongolia’s ‘New Revival Policy’.