🛰 STARLINK ENTERS | VENICE ART BIENNALE | TRADE: LESS FOR MORE

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 📌 DID YOU KNOW?

A little about the Mongolian Urtiin duu or “long song”:

• Originated about 2,000 years ago, the Urtiin duu is a lyrical chant characterized by an extremely wide vocal range.

• Its idea is to extend the pronunciation of vowels for a long time - a four minute song can consist of ten words. 

• The Urtiin duu was inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2008.

• N.Norovbanzad is considered the greatest Mongolian Long Song singer of the 20th century. Listen to her most famous song. 

💰 FOREIGN TRADE IN 2022

Mongolia’s foreign trade statistics for the first 4 months of the year are finally out. Let’s take a look at what’s been cooking at our borders since the start of 2022. 🧐 

The big picture 

Total foreign trade turnover hit $5.1 billion - 15.5% higher from a year earlier. Exports exceeded imports by $450 million, which resulted in a positive trade balance.

• Exports reached $2.8 billion - a 12.1% YoY increase.

• Imports amounted to $2.3 billion - also 19.8% more than in 2021.

The overall rise in both exports and imports can be explained with inflation and the subsequent price increases of many products.

Less for more

As much as 3.8 million tons of coal worth $1 billion was exported to 4 Asian countries, with China being the largest importer. Considering that within last year’s first 4 months 7.3 million tons of coal worth $759 million was sold abroad, it’s clear that the rising global prices for coal had a significant impact on Mongolia’s trade turnover. The decrease in amounts can be attributed to China’s continued border closures, due to which we haven’t been able to export goods in quantities that we used to. 

More for more

A little different was the situation with copper concentrates:

• Last year Mongolia exported 391 thousand tons of copper concentrates to China for $774 million. This year we sold them 469 thousand tons worth $1 billion.

Gold for Switzerland

Though China is still the main importer of Mongolian products, there’s a noticeable change in our export’s country distribution. Switzerland, which accounted for less than 1% of Mongolia’s exports last year, now has a 11.7% share in our total exports. Since the start of 2022, they have imported 5.4 tons of gold worth $327 million, which made up 99.7% of their imports from Mongolia.

Notably, within the first 4 months of last year, Mongolia sold only 880 kilos of gold to South Korea. With Switzerland now starting to buy a lot of gold, the commodity has become Mongolia’s third main product of export.

📢 VENICE ART BIENNALE 2022

Known as the Olympics of the art world, the Venice Art Biennale is finally being held for the 59th time after being suspended for two years. With 213 invited artists from 58 countries, the exhibition will also include a number of national participations. The fourth appearance of Mongolia at the event features Munkhtsetseg Jalkhaajav, one of the most prominent figures of our contemporary art scene.

A Journey through Vulnerability

☝️ This is the title of Munkhtsetseg’s exhibition at the biennale. It includes several installations that convey her unique interpretations of experiences gathered throughout the 15 years of her artistic journey. The works are spread across three different rooms: “Miscarriage”, “Dream of Gazelle”, and “Pulse of Life”. Collectively they narrate a story of pain, fear, healing, and rebirth.

The details: 

• Duration: April 23 - November 27, 2022

• Location: Mongolia Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, Calle S. Biasio, Castello 2131, 30122 Venice, Italy

🛰 STARLINK ENTERS MONGOLIA

Here comes Elon Musk with his Starlink satellites to provide internet all over Mongolia’s vast steppes. Starlink Services Mongolia LLC is officially registered as an entity. It is expected to launch in 2023 but a lot is to happen before they can launch its internet services.  

But first, do Mongolians even use the internet? 

Some people still think Mongolians just ride horses and live on the steppes. Well, maybe that’s true to some extent :) but Mongolians are heavy internet users. To state some facts, 71.8% of the population (aged 15 or over) uses the internet according to the latest 2022 survey. Moreover, 80% of households have access to the internet, and 84.7% of the population uses smartphones. Moving forward, internet usage is only to balloon even more.

Fierce competition awaits

Mongolia’s telecommunications sector has always been fiercely competitive among four big operator companies. And last year, the fifth mobile operator ONDO entered the market with the ambition to deploy 4G, 5G, and IoT networks. Thanks to the competition, we have one of the cheapest internet in the world and it is fairly fast. Now, only 6 years after the 4G network was introduced, the 5G network is expected to be launched in Mongolia by the end of this year, which is on par with some developing countries in terms of speed. 

Starlink’s competitive edge

Providing internet everywhere, including families who herd livestock in farthest and most remote lands, has been virtually impossible. But Starlink can do it and that will be so valuable. Having access to the internet where previously wasn’t possible can make a change. Few thoughts here, people can work remotely from there, people can travel more comfortably, and more importantly, people living there will have an opportunity to connect with the world. 

But, two questions?

• Starlink’s satellite internet service monthly fee ($110) is way more expensive compared to existing options and the average income in Mongolia. Will Starlink offer less expensive internet service with several options in Mongolia?

• Should the Mongolian Government defend the domestic market considering that it is a strategic sector and a vast amount of the cost of building network infrastructure? Starlink needs to obtain several licenses and permits to provide internet services.

We will see answers and actions soon but it feels so good to know Elon Musk’s Starlink is entering Mongolia. 

🏛️ DATA STORY

Price increases in food and transportation costs were the main driving forces behind the high inflation rate. As the world anticipates further rises in grain prices, the inflation rate in Mongolia is very unlikely to decrease in the near future. 

🌳 BUILDING SPACE FOR PEOPLE

Although public officials and international agencies in Ulaanbaatar (UB) eagerly discuss the underdeveloped physical infrastructure of ger areas in the city, they usually overlook the lack of social infrastructure in the said districts. Consequently, people there simply don’t have enough public space where they can grow together and build their own community.

Ger Innovation Hub

That’s why GerHub has created the Ger Innovation Hub (GIH), a place where all generations can gather and cooperatively learn new skills through various workshops and events. Located in Songinokhairkhan district in UB, the GIH provides community space and educational programs for more than 12,000 ger area residents.

Green space matters

GerHub is also trying to set up a lively green space outside the GIH. By increasing accessibility to the outdoors with a community garden, tree canopy, and seating areas, people will be exposed to a little piece of nature. And as you see from the last poster, green space is not something a typical Ulaanbaatarian can enjoy in large amounts.

Inspiring design

The GIH was designed by Rural Urban Framework at The University of Hong Kong and constructed in partnership with a community organization, Ecotown. The building’s inner room made of mud bricks is surrounded by an outer layer of polycarbonate, which creates a buffer space that traps heat in winter and reduces energy consumption. This serves as an inspiring model for ger areas to reduce coal use. 

*This article was prepared in partnership with GerHub.

🏃 QUICK STORIES

📌 “Gateway to the West” starring Kevin Spacey to shoot in Mongolia. The historical film is about Batu Khan’s invasion of Hungary. The making of the movie will enjoy special reimbursements in Mongolia under the Law on the Promotion of Cinematography and Film Production adopted last year.

📌 South Koreans can now travel to Mongolia visa-free for up to 90 days. The visa-free regime will be valid until the end of 2024. Notably, the number of South Koreans traveling to Mongolia dropped from 101 thousand in 2019 to 2 thousand in 2021 due to the pandemic.

📌 Minimum wage to be raised to $177, a 31% increase from the current amount of $135. The decision was made at the recent meeting of the Tripartite National Commission for Labor and Social Concession and will take effect from January 1, 2023.

📌 Residence permits for foreigners are now renewed exclusively online. Applications are processed via immigration.gov.mn. As of now, more than 2 thousand foreign companies and residents have extended their permits digitally.

📌  ION Energy (IONGF) collects highest-grade lithium brine sample ever seen in Mongolia. The sample collected at the surface of a shallow pool at the Urgakh Naran project assayed 918 mg/L lithium. However, it may not be indicative of the lithium grade at depth due to evaporation effects.

📷 A GLIMPSE OF MONGOLIA

About: The Gobi desert is the 6th largest desert in the world and the largest in Asia. Located in southern parts of Mongolia and the northern end of China’s territory, it’s considered a cold desert, with frost and  snow frequently occurring on its dunes. Temperatures may even drop to -32.8°C in winters.

Mongolian death worm 

The Mongolian death worm, or the Olgoi-Khorkhoi is a creature that is alleged to live in the sands of the Gobi desert. The creature’s existence hasn’t been proven yet, but it lives on in many folk stories and legends. As one of them says, the Olgoi-Khorkhoi feeds on people, spits out an acidic substance, and has electric powers. 

Fun facts: 

• The Gobi desert expands south for about 3,600 km2  every year due to desertification.

• One of its top attractions is the Khongoryn Els, a.k.a. the singing dunes.

• The Gobi desert is home to the only truly wild camels known as Bactrian camels. 

ESSENTIAL LINKS

• Isaac Schwartz at Asian Investing Summit 2022 on Mongolia. (MOI Global)

• Curious about Mongolia's food and culture? Check this YouTube channel with 444K subscribers! (ARTGER)

• What Genghis Khan's Mongolian sounded like? (NativLang)

• The youngest member of Mongolia's government is making space for women in tech. (TIME)

• Disaster Management Reference Handbook (May 2022) - Mongolia. (reliefweb)