From August 21 to 22, 2014, President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to Mongolia. At the end of the visit, Foreign Minister Wang Yi briefed the accompanying journalists on this visit.

Wang Yi said that China and Mongolia are linked by rivers and mountains, with more than 4,700 kilometers of shared land borderlines. The two countries boast a long history of exchanges and the two peoples have profound feelings towards each other. A sound development of China-Mongolia relations is of great strategic importance to both sides. Currently, China and Mongolia are both committed to reform, development and national rejuvenation, and strengthening good neighborly and friendly cooperation is the common aspiration of both sides. China-Mongolia relations are standing at a new historical starting point, featuring favorable conditions of good timing, geographical convenience and good people-to-people relations, and facing greater development opportunities.

Wang Yi pointed out that August is the golden season of Mongolia, and also marks the best season regarding the development of China-Mongolia relations. Just like visiting friends and relatives, President Xi Jinping's first visit to Mongolia after his assumption of presidency received warm welcome from the Mongolian government and people. They said that on the prairie, rain is as precious as oil. The seasonable rainfall on the day of President Xi Jinping's arrival in Mongolia has brought the breeze of friendship and the rain of cooperation to Mongolia. President Xi Jinping held in-depth talks with President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj of Mongolia, reaching important consensus on upgrading China-Mongolia relations, and met with leaders of the Mongolian government and parliament, delivered an important speech at the State Great Hural, attended economic, trade, people-to-people and cultural activities, and contacted extensively with Mongolian people from all walks of life, yielding fruitful results in enhancing mutual trust, promoting cooperation and deepening friendship. Wherever President Xi Jinping went, he was treated as the most distinguished guest. President Elbegdorj arranged a family banquet in honor of President Xi Jinping and his wife Mme. Peng Liyuan. President Elbegdorj's wife cooked in person, and the two sides held long and close talks in a family atmosphere. The local people expressed their friendship to President Xi Jinping and the Chinese people by holding the grand tradition of Nadam Fair. All communities in Mongolia agree that President Xi Jinping's visit has a special historic significance and writes a new chapter in the history of China-Mongolia relations.

First, determine the new position of China-Mongolia relations and strengthen friendship and mutual trust. President Xi Jinping and President Elbegdorj jointly signed the Joint Declaration, announcing to upgrade China-Mongolia relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership. This is a strategic choice made by the two heads of state for the overall situation of long-term development of their own countries as well as the whole region's lasting prosperity and stability, and charters the course for the future development of China-Mongolia relations. Expounding China's path of peaceful development and good-neighborly policies, Xi Jinping stressed that no matter how the international and regional landscape changes, China always adheres to the spirit of the China-Mongolia Friendship and Cooperation Treaty, respects Mongolia's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity as well as the development path independently chosen by the Mongolian people, and regards the relationship with Mongolia as a priority in its foreign policy. The two countries should be good neighbors, good partners and good friends with mutual trust. On the day of arrival in Mongolia, President Xi Jinping also published a signed article on Mongolian mainstream media to express his hope to develop good-neighborly and friendly cooperation, which has aroused intense responses among the local society. The Mongolian leaders totally agreed with President Xi Jinping's proposal, and stressed that Mongolia will firmly take relations with China as priority of its foreign policy, steadfastly support China's stance on issues related to Taiwan and Tibet, and will not support any forces or activities that attempt to split China. The two sides also agreed to maintain high-level contacts and strategic communication, establish a mechanism of strategic dialogue between the two Foreign Ministries, and enhance cooperation in defense and security.

Second, stress complementary advantages and promote practical cooperation. Mongolia is abundant in resources while China has capital and technology. The two countries are adjacent in geography and complementary in economy, so there is enormous potential for cooperation. The two heads of state comprehensively planned practical cooperation in all fields, decided to uphold the "three-in-one coordinated implementation" of mineral resource development, infrastructure construction, and financial cooperation, and determined such two priority directions as connectivity and cooperation in major projects, in a vigorous effort to ensure that the bilateral trade volume will reach 10 billion USD in 2020. Through the personal promotion of President Xi Jinping, progress has been made in major projects which had been under long-term discussion. The two sides signed over 30 cooperation documents, covering many fields such as economy and trade, mineral recourses, electricity, transportation, infrastructure construction, and finance. Both sides decided to promote the establishment of a cross-border economic cooperation zone. China agreed to provide support and convenience in such aspects as sea ports and transit transport. The public opinions of the two sides hold that those major decisions and measures will closely integrate their advantages and effectively connect their paths of development, meeting practical needs of the two countries. China's proposal of constructing the Silk Road Economic Belt is compatible with Mongolia's initiative of the Prairie Road, which helps to explore broad prospects for the bilateral cooperation.

Third, exhibit China's correct viewpoint of righteousness and benefit to enhance China's charisma. Mongolia is a landlocked country with a small population and its economy features high foreign dependence. President Xi Jinping repeatedly stresses that China's cooperation with Mongolia adheres to the mutual benefit and win-win results instead of I-win-you-lose or I-much-you-little. China is willing and able to help Mongolia transform its resource advantages into economic and development advantages through close China-Mongolia cooperation. China attaches great importance to Mongolia's urgent needs and is willing to share its development achievements with Mongolia so as to achieve common development and prosperity, particularly to make China-Mongolia cooperation benefit the Mongolian people's livelihood more and let the Mongolian people get more tangible benefits. China will definitely keep and fulfill all its promises. President Xi Jinping announced that in order to help Mongolia cultivate talents, China will provide training opportunities to 1000 Mongolian people and increase 1000 Chinese Government Full Scholarships in the next five years. Mongolian public opinion praises China for its valuable support and assistance to Mongolia based on the principle of equality and mutual benefit, which has promoted the economic and social development of Mongolia. President Elbegdorj said that China has taken Mongolia's interests into full consideration in the bilateral cooperation, which has deeply moved the Mongolian people.

Fourth, expound the arts of getting along with neighboring countries and welcome the neighboring countries to board China's train of development. Asia is the most dynamic region in terms of economic development and a place rife with a host of hotspot and sensitive issues. How Asian countries get along exerts influence on the survival and development of all the countries and the stability and prosperity of Asia. President Xi Jinping pointed out in his speech that Asian countries should conform to the trend of the times and the common aspiration of the people, adhere to the Asian ways of mutual respect, consensus based on consultations, and consideration for the comfort level of each side, and use more Oriental wisdom to solve problems, resolve contradictions and promote harmony. The key is to respect and trust each other and care for the major concerns of each other, to seek common ground while resolving divergences through dialogues and cooperation, and to cooperate to achieve win-win results and common development and prosperity. President Xi Jinping stressed that China adheres to the path of peaceful development and would never seek hegemonism after becoming strong. Upholding the principle of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness in neighborhood diplomacy, China is committed to building good-neighborly friendship and partnership with its neighboring countries. China is willing to provide its neighboring countries with opportunities and space of common development. Welcome to the train of China's development. Either for a fast ride or for a free ride is welcome. Mongolian public opinion highly appreciates China's good-neighborly and friendly diplomacy, and believes that China's concept of neighborhood diplomacy will bring important opportunities to its neighboring countries including Mongolia.

Wang Yi finally said that steady relations with neighboring countries lay the foundation for China's national security, development and prosperity. In order to achieve the two "Centenary Goals", China must maintain a favorable neighboring environment. Facing today's profound and complicated changes of international and regional situations, China should strengthen its adherence to the established strategies and make positive efforts to put into practice the principle of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness, and the policy of fostering an amicable, secure and prosperous neighborhood. It is needed to turn the opportunities of the neighbors into those of China, but it is more important to translate China's opportunities into those commonly shared by the neighboring countries. China will constantly deepen mutual trust and cooperation with its Asian neighbors to jointly move toward peaceful development and common prosperity in a steady and sound manner.