As this year marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of international friendship city relations between Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and Bayankhongor Province of Mongolia, the two sides held an online meeting on March 25 to bolster exchanges and cooperation amid the routine COVID-19 response measures.

Present at the meeting were Batsuuri Batnasan, Deputy Governor of Bayankhongor Province, Bai Yuzhen, Party Secretary of NXFAO, and officials from the General Office of Government of Bayankhongor Province, Ningxia Agriculture and Rural Affairs Department, Ningxia Commerce Department and Ningxia Forestry and Grassland Administration. Gunaajav Baigalmaa, Counsellor of Embassy of Mongolia in China, also attended the meeting.

During the meeting, Bai Yuzhen and Batsuuri Batnasan delivered remarks respectively, introducing the socioeconomic progress and specialty industries of the two sides. Bai noted that, as China and Mongolia pledge to deepen comprehensive strategic partnership, Ningxia and Bayankhongor have also engaged closely and cooperated in economy and trade, agriculture and people-to-people exchanges since the two sides were tied as international friendship cities in July 2012. NXFAO will take further steps to expand cooperation with Bayankhongor in five areas, including high-level exchanges, integrated development of industries, green development, economic and trade cooperation, people-to-people and cultural exchanges.

Batsuuri Batnasan said that he totally agreed with these proposals and Bayankhongor would enhance cooperation with Ningxia in agriculture and tourism so as to add up to each others’ advantages and achieve win-win results.

The officials from government departments of the two sides had in-depth exchanges and discussions and reached consensus on application of agricultural and animal husbandry technology, economic and trade cooperation, desertification control and gateway construction. Both sides expressed the willingness to promote project matchmaking and sign cooperation agreements at an early date, so as to pave the way for high-level meetings.