Dozens of people demanding the release of ethnic Mongolians arrested in China for criticising a controversial language policy rallied in the Mongolian capital on Thursday, days before a visit by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

The country of Mongolia neighbours China’s province of Inner Mongolia, which has seen weeks of protests and school boycotts over a policy requiring schools to teach politics, history, and literature in Mandarin rather than the local language.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will stop in Ulaanbaatar during an Asia tour next week that also includes Japan and South Korea but omits China.

Some protesters — wearing facemasks as a precaution against  coronavirus — were dressed in traditional Mongolian dress and carried banners showing pictures of alleged Chinese atrocities against ethnic Mongolians.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s visit to Mongolia last month was also overshadowed by protests.