India, Mongolia boost cooperation amid China's rising influence

Delhi sees Ulaanbaatar as a key 'geopolitical card' while Mongolia cultivates ties with India to cut over-reliance on its big neighbours

- Debarshi Dasgupta

Back in early 2021, when India decided to send coveted doses of locally made Covid-19 vaccines to a select few partners in its neighbourhood, Mongolia, sandwiched between Russia and China, made the cut.

The country received its first batch of vaccines - 150,000 Covishield doses - from India in February that year.

The choice was strategic, cementing Mongolia's importance in India's Act East Policy.

New Delhi continues to build on this outreach that considers Mongolia a key "geopolitical card" against China's growing influence in South Asia and beyond, with Ulaanbaatar also cultivating India as a partner to cut down its over-reliance on its two large neighbours.

In September 2022, Mr Rajnath Singh became the first Indian defence minister to visit Mongolia. He inaugurated a Cyber Security Training Centre at the National Defence University in Ulaanbaatar, built with New Delhi's assistance.

This is yet another calculated move to show support for Mongolia, which has faced cyber attacks, including ones allegedly originating in China.

Earlier in June, India sent four key Lord Buddha relics to be exhibited in Mongolia after a gap of 29 years, accentuating India's shared heritage of Buddhism with the country that has long considered India as its "spiritual neighbour".