On August 20, Zandaakhuu Enkhbold, Chief of Staff of the Office of the President of Mongolia, met with BAN Ki-moon, Chairman of BFA, and Li Baodong, Secretary-General of BFA. Xing Haiming, Chinese Ambassador to Mongolia, and Vorshilov Enkhbold, Director-General, Department of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation, MFA of Mongolia, were present.

Mr. Ban asked Mr. Enkhbold to convey his gratitude to Mongolian President HE Khaltmaa Battulga for his invitation, and thanked the Mongolian government for hosting the Ulaanbaatar Conference together with BFA. In today’s world, multilateralism tends to be abandoned by major powers, while polarization is accelerating, and protectionism, populism and unilateralism are rising. Against this backdrop, it is particularly important for Mongolia and BFA to jointly hold the Ulaanbaatar Conference. From Ulaanbaatar to Boao, we will send a clear message to the world that we can take concerted action to create a sustainable future.

Secretary-General Li expressed his gratitude to Mongolia for its long-term support for and cooperation with BFA. The Opening & Plenary of the Ulaanbaatar Conference this morning was a great success. Political, business and academic leaders from various countries had productive dialogues around the theme of the conference, calling for concerted action to promote common prosperity. BFA also brought together many entrepreneur representatives who showed great interest in investing in Mongolia. It is believed that through the promotion, communication and dialogue at the conference, entrepreneurs of Mongolia and other countries will tap the potential of economic cooperation and take the pragmatic cooperation to a new level.

Director-General Enkhbold conveyed President Battulga’S congratulations on the success of the Ulaanbaatar Conference, and thanked BFA for holding this conference in Mongolia to build a platform for the political, business and academic communities to enhance communication. The world has been fully aware of the challenges ahead. Protectionism is not desirable, and the free trade system should be safeguarded. BFA is expected to continue to play an active role in upholding multilateralism. Mongolia has been consistently supporting and promoting regional cooperation. Earlier, President Battulga proposed the Northeast Asia Power System Interconnection initiative. Looking ahead, the two sides can drive cooperation in a number of areas including regional connectivity.