In Mongolia’s Gobi desert a line of trucks laden with coal and angry drivers, stretches 100 km from the Chinese border. 

To solve the matter, D.Zagdjav, Deputy Minister of Mining and Heavy Industries has discussed coal transportation from the Tavan Tolgoi mining complex via the Gashuun Sukhait and Gants Mod border crossings with China’s Ambassador to Mongolia, H.E. Xing Haiming. The two sides exchanged views on ending the delays at the Chinese border that have disrupted trade and created a monumental traffic jam.

The problem has been going on for some time. At the end of July and beginning in August, there were 450 to 500 trucks passing through the Gants Mod border crossing a day. Clearly infrastructure is not designed for such demand.

Ambassador Xing Haiming explained that there have been 150-160 km long queues of coal trucks in the past, but the situation is now much improved.

The problem had been caused by the sharp increase of coal sales to China, the undeveloped infrastructure of Mongolian roads and the various Chinese national holidays, during which the border crossings in question are closed.

Mongolia has become one of China’s biggest coal suppliers this year following a ban on imports from North Korea, combined with increased demand for coking coal.