In Mongolia’s capital Ulaanbaatar thousands of protesters gathered in front of the State palace, and attempted to force their way in. They are protesting government corruption as well as demanding to know the identities of the officials that sold over 385,000 tons of coal to China over the course of seven years, in what many are calling theft. The protests have persisted even after the arrest of eight people associated with the matter. These protests are the latest in what has been a protest heavy year for mongolia, with massive protests happening early this year due to high inflation rates, the increasing cost of living, and racial discrimination.
Mongolia is very economically dependent on its two power house neighbors, China and Russia. This has become an issue because Russia has been in an extremely rough period economically, following their war in Ukraine, as well as the aggressive, near world wide sanctions, that followed. As well, China is in an economic downturn because of their Covid-19 protocols, which even two years after the pandemic began and roughly a year after most nations had begun to return to pre-pandemic protocols, China is still partially under lockdown. Because these two powerful nations can no longer support Mongolia, the nation and its citizens have been growing increasingly restless as their economy continues to go down hill.
This is a clear example of what happens when a regional hegemony loses its power. Normally, a regional hegemon would be a trendsetter for the other nations in its regions. But after economic troubles, those nations that would normally be partially held up by the regional hegemon’s supervision are starting to feel the pressure. Mongolia is currently experiencing this in the worst way possible because they are on the border of the two biggest regional powers, and have been in a way left out to dry completely by both of its biggest trade partners.