Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Mongolian Prime Minister Luvsannamsrai Oyun-Erdene in Beijing on Tuesday, calling on the two sides to level up the China-Mongolia comprehensive strategic partnership to a higher level.

Stressing that China and Mongolia are linked by mountains and water, Xi said developing good-neighborly friendship between China and Mongolia is a strategic choice made by both sides together and is fully in line with the fundamental interests of the two peoples.

China attaches great importance to the development of China-Mongolia relations and is a trustworthy and reliable partner of Mongolia, Xi told Oyun-Erdene.

He added China is willing to work with Mongolia to take the lead in building a China-Mongolia community with a shared future, continuously deepen friendship, mutual trust and cooperation between the two countries, promote the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership to a higher level, and inject more stability and certainty into the region.

China and Mongolia should always adhere to mutual respect for national independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, respect the development paths independently chosen by the two peoples, and firmly support each other on issues involving each other's core interests and major concerns, Xi stressed.

Stressing that China is advancing the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization and Mongolia is also committed to national reform and economic and social development, Xi said the two sides can continue to deepen the alignment of development strategies and advance modernization hand in hand.

He also said that China will continue to promote cooperation with Mongolia on the basis of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness.

President Xi urged efforts to strengthen connectivity between the two countries, promote the construction of the China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor, and advance the high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative.

China is willing to cooperate with Mongolia in combating desertification and will continue to support the latter's plan to plant one billion trees, he said, adding China is willing to strengthen inter-party exchanges with the Mongolian side and enhance exchanges on governance.

Xi also pointed out that China and Mongolia are both developing countries, sharing a wide range of common interests and similar positions in international and regional affairs.

China supports Mongolia in playing an active role in regional and international affairs, Xi noted. He also voiced the hope that both sides will uphold the concept of building a community with a shared future, firmly defend multilateralism and jointly build a new type of international relations with mutual respect, fairness and justice, and win-win cooperation.

Expressing his pleasure to meet President Xi again, the Mongolian prime minister recalled last year's 2022 Winter Olympics hosted by China. He said it injected strong confidence in the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Mongolian side is ready to work with China to make Mongolia-China relations a model of state-to-state relations, Oyun-Erdene said.

Mongolia adheres to the one-China principle and supports China's position on issues related to Taiwan, Xizang and Xinjiang, Oyun-Erdene noted, adding that his country supports the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative proposed by President Xi.

(Cover: Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Mongolian Prime Minister Luvsannamsrai Oyun-Erdene in Beijing, June 27, 2023. /CMG)