China’s wants Inner Mongolia to be exemplar region for energy and minerals, boost Russia and Mongolia transport links
- State Council’s first provincial-level high-quality development plan for the Inner Mongolia autonomous region focuses on ecology, energy, strategic minerals and border security
- Plan focuses on building the region, which shares its border with Russia and Mongolia, into an important shield for ecology and national security in northern China
Beijing hopes Inner Mongolia can become an “exemplar” autonomous region, promising more transport links with Russia and Mongolia and ordering the northern outpost to play a greater role in ecology, energy, strategic minerals and border security.
The positioning of the sparsely populated region of 24 million people, which is known for its rare earth reserves and energy resources, is included in the first provincial-level high-quality development plan rolled out by China’s State Council.
“[We’ll] build Inner Mongolia into an important shield for ecological and national security in northern China,” according to a document released by China’s cabinet on Monday.
“While being a key base for national energy, strategic resources and livestock production, it is also an important bridgehead for China’s opening to the north.”
The Inner Mongolia autonomous region, which occupies 12 per cent of China’s land mass but houses only 1.7 per cent of its 1.4 billion population, shares more than 4,200km (2,610 miles) of its border with Russia and landlocked Mongolia.