B&R by the Numbers: People in Mongolia and Russia pin high hopes on B&R cooperation

Editor’s Note: This is the seventh installment of Belt and Road Portal's special series on the Belt and Road Big Data Report 2017.

The public opinion in Mongolia and Russia is attaching great importance to the Belt and Road Initiative, according to a newly-released report.

The Belt and Road Big Data Report 2017 published by the State Information Center shows that media outlets and netizens in Mongolia and Russia are paying close attention to Belt and Road projects ever since 2015. This tends to peak whenever there are projects being completed or launched, or when important documents are signed with China.

In July 2015, China, Mongolia and Russia signed a three-party cooperation road map, a memorandum of understanding for the construction of a China-Mongolia-Russia economic corridor, as well as cooperation framework agreements on promoting trilateral trade development and border port development.

Experts say these agreements can foster synergy in development strategy and enhance the level of the three countries’ economic and trade cooperation.

The report said 87.11 percent of media outlets and netizens in Mongolia and Russia hold a positive or at least a neutral attitude towards Belt and Road cooperation.

Public opinion in Mongolia tends to favor the synergy between the Belt and Road Initiative and the country’s own Prairie Road plan, and believes the China-Mongolia-Russia economic corridor will give Mongolia an important position in cross-border transportation in Eurasia. Mongolia can also make good use of Chinese capital to boost its national economic development, the report said.

Meanwhile, Russian public opinion sees the synergy between the Belt and Road Initiative and Eurasian Economic Union as providing a new starting point in the development of Sino-Russia ties. This synergy is conducive to deepening cooperation with China, with much importance to the economic development of the entire Eurasian continent.

Media outlets and netizens of Mongolia and Russia think cooperation in building industrial parks and economic zones is one of the best choices for the mutual beneficial cooperation among the three countries, and building a bilateral trade zone with China can improve local infrastructure, create industrial aggregation and optimize the industrial chain, according to the report.