Chinese President Xi Jinping called the President of Mongolia Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh on July 16, the eve of US Deputy Secretary of State Diplomat Wendy Sherman's visit to Mongolia. Xi Jinping called for the China-Mongolia relationship to be strengthened by mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity and said China would import more minerals and agricultural products from Mongolia. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs quoted Xi Jinping as saying “Both sides should respect each other’s independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and independent choice of development paths chosen by the two peoples and accommodate and support each other’s core interests and major concerns.” Mongolia's Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh reportedly thanked Xi Jinping for China’s help during the pandemic. Mongolia appreciated China’s help during the coronavirus outbreak, according to the Chinese foreign ministry readout.

(Comment: China donated 300,000 doses of the Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine to Mongolia in February. China is Mongolia’s largest trading partner. The bilateral trade volume was over US$6.63 billion last year, according to the Chinese Ministry of Commerce.)