Greater role

As part of its effort to seek a greater role in shaping the regional economic and security agenda, Mongolia became an observer state of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in 2004, a bloc that includes China, Russia and Central Asian nations.

Sun Zhuangzhi, an expert on Central Asia at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, noted that Mongolian leaders have attended the leadership summit of the SCO in recent years, and Ulan Bator has been a proactive applicant for membership in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation organization.

"The economic restructuring of Mongolia cannot be achieved without the cooperation of China and Russia," Sun said.

As an inland country surrounded by Russia in the north and China in the south, Mongolia's lack of access to the sea has been a major headache for its developing economy, which relies heavily on minerals and resources.

Ulan Bator has displayed a stronger desire for access to more ports in Northeast China as outlets for its products, Piao said.

The New Silk Road project, which spans the Euro-Asia region, has intrigued Mongolia, and President Xi mentioned the project during his talks on Thursday.

Meanwhile, some observers believe that Mongolia does not want to show too much trilateral closeness, as that would frustrate powerful regional outsiders such as the United States and Japan.

Sun said that Mongolia is highly dependent on China and Moscow, though it seeks to keep their strategic powers balanced.

Sun predicted that Mongolia may give a higher priority to the economic agenda on trilateral occasions.

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