ULAANBAATAR: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in Mongolia on Thursday at the end of a 10-day tour of Asia, celebrating growing ties with the landlocked democracy sandwiched between authoritarian powers China and Russia.
His long tour, which also took him to Southeast Asia and Japan, was aimed at hammering home US support for allies and countering Chinese influence in the region – although Washington insists it is not pursuing a policy of containment towards Beijing.
Blinken stressed in Ulaanbaatar on Thursday that the US approach is not “against any country”.
Mongolia is a sprawling, sparsely populated democracy of 3.4 million people and held parliamentary elections in June.
Blinken held talks Thursday with Mongolian Foreign Minister Batmunkh Battsetseg, who was in Washington last week to meet with the top diplomat and start a strategic dialogue.
“The United States and Mongolia are proud third neighbors, united by shared democratic values, united by common interests,” he added.
Washington hopes to strengthen its influence in Mongolia, which has historic ties with Russia as well as critical trade ties with China.
Before leaving for Washington, Blinken is scheduled to participate in the “Naadam” festival, a celebration of Mongolian nomadic traditions that includes athletes, often in traditional clothing, participating in wrestling, archery and horse racing.
