Hagel pushes US military ties with China's neighbour Mongolia

[dipsydoodle]

Source: Channel News Asia

Pentagon chief Chuck Hagel Thursday endorsed stronger military ties with Mongolia as it seeks a US partnership as a counterweight to its powerful neighbours Russia and China.

Hagel and his Mongolian counterpart Dashdemberel Bat-Erdene signed a "joint vision" statement in Ulan Bator calling for expanding military cooperation through joint training and assistance.

The document is mostly symbolic but is likely to irritate Beijing, which has accused Washington of trying to hold back its rise by cultivating military ties with smaller Asian neighbours.

"A strong US-Mongolia defence relationship is important as part of the American rebalance to the Asia-Pacific region," Hagel told a joint press conference, referring to a strategic "pivot" that China has eyed with concern.

But Bat-Erdene ruled out the possibility of hosting US bases, which currently exist in Japan and South Korea.

Read more: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/hagel-pushes-us-military/1066766.html

[Ash_F]

1. Haven't the Mongolians suffered enough?

Must they really be roped into the US government's grand designs?

[pangaia]

2. Oooppssie..

We're done for anyway. Why bother.
I's all over.

My ex-wife is Chinese, from Ningxia, near Mongolia. Her grandmother on her mother's side was Mongolian. We still have friends in "Ulan Bator."
I don't know.. Leave the people alone.

That's just the way I feel at 8:30 having my coffee..

[Pterodactyl]

3. They've been a good ally; they sent forces to both Afghanistan and Iraq.