The long road of Mongolia-China relations

Abstract

Today, the People's Republic of China is the main trading partner for Mongolia. Despite good progress in the economic field, the two societies have different views of each other. How have China and Mongolia built their relationship in modern times? The historical reconstruction of relations between China and Mongolia cannot ignore - at least starting in the 20th century - the relations between Mongolia and Russia, and between Russia and China. After the end of the Cold War and the fall of communism, Mongolia had to reshape its foreign policy, and identity, and redefine its relations with its two giant neighbours, while at the same time trying to build its relations in the new international context. The emergence of China as a new global power has confronted the Mongolians with important choices for their future. Starting from the analysis of the socialist period, the paper aims to reconstruct the Mongolian point of view in the dimension of the historical development of relations between the two countries in the context of the changed international conditions.