Link to article: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/china-nudges-mongolia-join-eurasian-security-bloc-2023-10-27/
Chinese Premier Li Qiang spoke to Mongolian Prime Minister Li Oyun-Erdene in Bishkek, stating that China is ready to strengthen its relations with Mongolia through the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). The SCO is a regional security alliance with Eurasian members such as Russia and India that has recently expanded to focus on counter-terrorism and expanding globally, seeking to be as powerful as Western blocs like the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Oyun-Erdene responded to the Chinese Premier by agreeing to collaborate with China through a mutual trust and the Mongolia-China-Russia economic corridor. The Mongolian Prime Minister didn’t mention Mongolia having any plans to join the SCO in the near future, but claimed that Mongolia’s independent foreign policy will have cooperation with SCO countries.
Mongolia’s decision to not join the SCO is important because it shows that Mongolia looks to be allies with its neighboring countries of China and Russia but wants to keep its independent foreign policy. Mongolia’s decision may also be influenced by the current conflicts between Russia (a member of the SCO) and Ukraine and the potential negative effects on members of the security bloc. Joining the SCO might also result in Mongolia limiting itself in its current “third neighbor” diplomacy where Mongolia has partnerships with the United States and Japan. However, it appears that China may be getting impatient with Mongolia’s choice to only remain an observer state of SCO for the past nineteen years. As a result, China may choose to have less cooperation with Mongolia in the future and may focus on recruiting other countries to join the SCO. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is increasingly expanding and has the potential to become a powerful security bloc.
The SCO connects to class because it’s considered an IGO or intergovernmental organization that is composed of many powerful states working together to ensure security. It’s also an example of national interest for Mongolia because although it may be better for them to cooperate with their neighbors and join a security alliance, they want to protect their independent sovereignty and keep their partnerships with Western countries. The Eurasian security bloc brings up the issue of security dilemmas and the possibility that if Mongolia and other countries were to join this bloc than other countries may feel threatened and take security actions as a result, like attempting to join NATO.