China's development 'great opportunities for Mongolia'

The sustained development of the Chinese economy has created great opportunities for Mongolia's economic and social progress, the country's parliamentary speaker said in a written interview with Xinhua Monday.

Zandaakhuu Enkhbold, chairman of the State Great Hural (parliament), invited China's top legislator Wu Bangguo for a three-day visit to the country from Jan. 30 to Feb. 1, the first in 16 years by a chairman of the Standing Committee of the Chinese National People's Congress.

He said in recent years China-Mongolia relations have witnessed comprehensive and stable development that upgraded the two countries' relationship into strategic partnership.

With the joint efforts of both sides, the two countries have deepened political mutual trust, and bilateral cooperation in all spheres has also been enriched and promoted, he said.

He added the frequent reciprocal high-level visits have greatly contributed to the stable development of bilateral ties and further deepened mutual understanding.

In response to parliamentary cooperation between China and Mongolia, Enkhbold said the two supreme legislatures, the State Great Hural and the National People's Congress, face common tasks to improve their respective legal environments to encourage bilateral economic and trade cooperation.

The speaker spoke highly of the current bilateral economic and trade cooperation between the two countries, saying China has been Mongolia's biggest trade partner and top investment source country for years.

The two countries' cooperation in mining, infrastructure, energy and agriculture has been developing rapidly and there is great potential to expand this cooperation, Enkhbold said.

"The country will continue encouraging Chinese investment in Mongolia, especially in the field of eco-friendly advanced technologies."

The speaker also highlighted the active cultural exchanges between the two countries. He said the increasing number of Mongolian students in China and the visits by Chinese youth delegations to Mongolia in 2012 have contributed to the bilateral cooperation.

Despite the remarkable cooperation achievements, the two countries should still work harder to make their people benefit more from the China-Mongolia strategic partnership, he suggested.