Ulaanbaatar
Finance Minister B.Javkhlan: Gashuunsukhait border checkpoint resumes operations
Economy
Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/. On August 31, Minister of Finance B.Javkhlan announced that the Gashuunsukhait border checkpoint has resumed operations from August 30. Due to the pandemic situation, the Chinese side had made the decision to temporarily halt coal transport between Gashuunsukhait and Gantsmod border checkpoints for 14 days.
Despite the pandemic’s negative impact on Mongolia’s export, there is an opportunity to reach the projected revenue as coal, the country’s main export commodity, currently has a high price on the global market. In spite of the favorable conditions, the country is losing its opportunity to fully benefit from the increase in commodity price due to being unable to export 100 percent of its mining product, highlighted the Finance Minister.
He said, “Mongolia exports about 70 percent of its coal through the Gashuunsukhait border checkpoint. During the time of the pandemic, both sides are required to cooperate in order to resolve such issues. At the border checkpoint, the construction of a customs zone has recently completed, where drivers would be able to load and unload coal without leaving their trucks. By putting it into operation, we plan to export most of the 9.6 millions tons of coal that have accumulated at Tsagaan Khad. It is considered that this will create the opportunity to export the same amount of coal as previous years in the coming year.”
