Published on: 2026-05-06
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Huu-Hoto, May 6 /Xinhua/ — Cross-border trade through the Erenhot border checkpoint of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region /Northern China/ is developing rapidly, continuously overcoming some existing restrictions, said Mongolian businessman Dauaatsere Batgerel in a conversation with the correspondent of Xinhua News Agency.
D. Batgerel has been engaged in cross-border trade between China and Mongolia for 14 years. According to him, during this period the procedures of trade activity through the Erdenekhot border checkpoint were significantly simplified. Now, with the help of a mobile phone, customs clearance is carried out much faster and more efficiently. The waiting time for customs inspection from the automobile Erdenekhot border checkpoint to Zamiin-Uud in Mongolia sometimes takes only 5-15 minutes.
Moreover, the increase in the efficiency of customs clearance is observed both on the Chinese side and on the Mongolian side, he added.
New trading formats have also appeared. D. Batgerel said that nowadays Mongolian consumers increasingly order goods directly from Chinese e-commerce platforms, and the goods are shipped from all over China to Erenhot, and then delivered to Mongolia by car transport.
The Eren-Hoto border crossing is an important point for the joint implementation of the “Belt and Road” initiative, as well as in the China-Mongolia-Russia economic corridor. Connecting Russia and Mongolia with the Chinese zone of economic cooperation Hohhot-Baotou-Yinchuan-Yulin, it plays an important role in developing trade between China and Mongolia and serves as an important gateway for customs clearance of Chinese and foreign goods.
According to the government of the city of Erenhot, in the first quarter of 2026, the foreign trade turnover through the Erenhot border crossing exceeded 10 billion yuan (approximately 1.46 billion USD) and reached 10.32 billion yuan; cargo turnover increased by 15.5% year-on-year to 5.2 million tons, and the transport flow through it amounted to 919 thousand units, an increase of 6.3%.
Nevertheless, according to D. Batgerel, there are some limitations in the development of cross-border trade. He noted that the volume of online payment transactions is limited, and that for large-scale settlements, traders have to exchange currency at the bank, while when giving change in the retail sector, Chinese and Mongolian currencies are not interchangeable.
According to local authorities, the creation of the China Pilot Free Trade Zone /FTZ/ in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the general plan for which was announced in early April of this year, will facilitate the resolution of these issues. Measures will be adopted in this FTZ to simplify cross-border mobile payments between China and Mongolia. -0-
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