Abstract
Mongolia has three options: 1) riding the Chinese high-speed train; 2) accommodating Russia’s interests; and 3) embracing Japanese geopolitics. It needs to exploit all three, but it should keep its heated domestic politics out of major economic projects. Russia is pressuring it to become an SCO member, to join in the Eurasian Economic Union, to reject both Western and Chinese involvement in its uranium mining and railways, and to gain “privileged” access. China is the only gateway to the Asia-Pacific region. It seeks to neutralize the influence of its strategic rivals and to attract Mongolia to its regional order, despite anti-Chinese sentiments. While US interest has dipped, Japanese interest has surged. The Japanese option is critical. Even so, foreign policy is shifting to Mongolia’s real neighbors.
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Notes
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Australia-Mongolia Program Strategy (2012–2016).
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Jargalsaikhan, M. (2018). Mongolia’s Dilemma: A Politically Linked, Economically Isolated Small Power. In: Rozman, G., Radchenko, S. (eds) International Relations and Asia’s Northern Tier. Asan-Palgrave Macmillan Series. Palgrave, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-3144-1_10
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