China, Mongolia aim to stop spread of shared desert that threatens mining and agriculture on both sides
- As arid land spreads and sandstorms threaten to engulf Chinese cities, the neighbours will team up on research and jointly deploy advanced technology to save the soil
- The vast majority of Mongolia’s vast grasslands are vulnerable to desertification, and the worsening problem has far-reaching implications for livelihoods and economies on both sides
China and Mongolia intend to renew their joint effort to stop the spread of dangerous desertification that poses a growing threat to mining and agriculture on both sides.
President Xi Jinping told his Mongolian counterpart, Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh, in late November that China was ready to discuss establishing a “cooperation centre” to combat desertification, according to the Chinese foreign ministry.
And to that end, the two sides signed a “cooperation document”, the ministry said on its website.
The spread of arid land on the Mongolian side is caused by a combination of environmental and human factors, and most of its vast grasslands are vulnerable amid rising temperatures and decreased precipitation resulting from climate change.
The cooperation agreements reflect how the neighbouring countries will work together to restore degraded pasturelands and increase forest cover, Mongolia’s presidential foreign policy adviser, Odbayar Erdenetsogt, told the Post.
