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ULAANBAATAR: Protesters saluted Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on a visit to Ulaanbaatar on Tuesday (September 15), as Mongols gathered in the capital to speak out against Beijing’s controversial language policy in their ethnic minority regions.
The country of Mongolia is a neighbor of the Chinese province of Inner Mongolia, which has seen weeks of protests and educational boycotts over a policy change that requires all core subjects in schools to be taught in Mandarin rather than the local language.
China’s move follows similar action in Tibet and Xinjiang to assimilate local minorities into the dominant Han population.
When Wang arrived on a diplomatic visit on Tuesday, more than 100 protesters gathered in the main square of Ulaanbaatar in traditional Mongolian robes, shouting: “Let’s protect the mother tongue, let’s protect our blood brothers.”
“I really want the MPs and the president to oppose China’s new policy and demand that China allow ethnic Mongols to continue learning their mother tongue,” Indra Batbileg, a 21-year-old student, told AFP.
Mongolia is strategically located between Russia and China, but its economy depends on mineral exports to its giant southern neighbors.
However, Mongolian authorities have sought to expand markets, including strengthening ties with Russia.
On Tuesday, China’s ambassador to Ulaanator, Chai Wenrui, told a local news website that Wang Yi will sign a series of economic agreements with Mongolia that include donating millions in aid.
