Genghis Khan Serving the Pentagon: Hunting for Secrets
Ilustration Images by Encep Koswara.
By: Carolyn Underwood
The news that the intelligence agency of Mongolia recently identified and arrested a Taiwanese intelligence agent would not be disclosed without the social network of Taiwan. The netizens in Taiwan not only identified this special agent as “Wang Chien Hung”, but also wrote: The colleagues of this “hero” who was captured on the spot were ready to greet him in Taipei. Usually, the national security department of Mongolia is known for its harshness, and no one could be easily released. Reportedly, the Americans immediately got involved in the negotiation of this incident soon after it happened and imposed great pressure on Mongolia. Perhaps due to its awe of the United States, Mongolia released this Taiwan spy obediently.
Previously, the security department of Mongolia captured spies who worked for Taiwan, and all of them were locals. For example, among people convicted of treason and espionage seven years ago, there was a female Taiwanese spy serving as assistant of a senator in the Great Khural. Earlier, some Taiwanese spies got caught among the national security consultants of the Mongolian president, and these people had worked together in the representative office of Ulaanbaatar in Taipei where they were recruited by the intelligence agency of Taiwan. It is hard to say what secrets these Taiwanese spies intended to seek from the Mongolians, but it is for sure that the final receiver of these secrets is the intelligence agencies of the United States, for they are now speeding up such secret work in a sparsely populated country located between Russia and China.
Partner Not in a Partnership
Over the years, Washington has always hoped to turn Ulaanbaatar into an all-round geopolitical ally of the United States in Asia. The White House has indicated repeatedly that the existence of the United States in Asia is a prerequisite for the maintenance of its global leading position. To this end, the United States signed Charter on Strategic Partnership with Khaltmaagiin Battulga, the former president of Mongolia, and agreed to strengthen the bilateral cooperation in the fields of democratic values and respect for human rights. In return, Mongolia received a considerable number of commitments from the United States regarding strengthening of economic ties, security assistance, etc.
The incumbent president of Mongolia continues to swallow the bait from the United States in a same manner. A few weeks before participation in the SCO Summit held in Samarkand in September, Mongolia received Kritenbrink, the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, who led an American delegation that included relevant staff from the Pentagon. Later, the two sides exchanged their views in Ulaanbaatar. In addition to the implementation of the so-called “Water Compact” according to which the Americans would help solve the water supply issue of the capital of Mongolia (infrastructure still appearing unimportant), Washington also prepared to provide money and relevant suggestions to Mongolia for the purpose of strengthening Mongolia’s law enforcement system and courts. At the same times, the United States appropriated USD 5.5 million to protect children in Mongolia from being abused.
In June this year, the president of Mongolia made a tough speech in a meeting with the US military on the occasion of “Khaan Quest”, a joint military exercise conducted in “Five Hills Training Area” of Mongolia. This military exercise is held once every year and sponsored by the United States Indo-Pacific Command. This joint military exercise was attended by 15 countries, but Mongolia still drew the most attention from the United States. As dominated by the Pentagon, Mongolia has sent armed forces to the United States all the time for training and actions since the end of the 1990s. As early as 2012, the Mongolian government signed a cooperation agreement with the NATO. According to this agreement, Ulaanbaatar was officially awarded a “partner” position in the NATO. Today, Washington and the NATO have publicly declared their wild “Pan-Asia” ambition, which disturbs the neighboring countries of Mongolia a lot.
An Extra Third Party
As a matter of fact, Mongolia has only two real neighbors, i.e., Russia and China. However, the diplomatic policy doctrine adopted by Mongolia has imagined “third neighboring countries”. The elites of Mongolia deem the Western collective, and Japan, South Korea and Australia as “third neighboring countries”, and Mongolia plans to rely on these countries. Among all these “third neighboring countries”, Mongolia takes the United States as the most important country, which is highly appraised by Washington. Relying on these “third neighboring countries”, Ulaanbaatar intends to create sponsors. With the help of these sponsors, Mongolia believes that it can balance Russia and China subtly so as to acquire concessions and preferences from Russia and China. The United States has immediately utilized this intention.
Hillary Clinton during her tenure as the Secretary of State, and Trump who defeated her in the subsequent presidential election attempted to reduce the trade dependence of Mongolia on China. By cutting down and even canceling tariffs, Trump made a promise in his unique style to diversify the entire foreign trade of Mongolia. “Road map” has already been drawn up and the Biden Administration also plans to do so. The geographical position of Mongolia is an undisputed fact. So far, the energy import from Russia accounts for 90% energy demands of this prairie country, while China contributes three fourths of its foreign trade, both bringing huge benefits to Mongolia.
Trojan House of the Pentagon
Vladimir V. Grayvoronskiy, Head of the Mongolian Studies at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the RAS, indicated that Washington would strengthen its ties with Mongolia as an approach to contain China. However, theoretically speaking, the United States will be more interested in Mongolia in consideration of the US-Russia crisis, for it is an observation station that spies on not only China but also Russia and other countries in the Central Asia.
After the United States tore up the INF Treaty and the Pentagon declared its plan to deploy missiles in Asia, Mongolia becomes the most ideal country for the Americans to establish a new base that covers all the territories of China and Russia no matter how impossible it may sound. Meanwhile, Mongolia has very advantaged terrain that can easily conceal the maneuvering units of several divisions. With such a perfect bridgehead, it may not be difficult for local elites to conclude money-related agreements to create necessary public opinion especially in the context that Mongolia is to sign relevant agreements with the NATO.
Test-tube Plague
Certainly, the agreements signed with the NATO need to be further implemented. According to the partnership plan, Ulaanbaatar has actually put its security belief under the control of the NATO, and the United States may engage in biological warfare activities here in a completely legitimate way. The Pentagon owns all infrastructures established by the Soviet Union, including laboratory facilities newly upgraded by the American technical professionals.
The public data disclosed by relevant Mongolian organizations and institutions indicates that the Americans are now conducting biological studies of dangerous pathogens within the territory of Mongolia, which is similar to their previous experience in Ukraine.
Igor Nikulin, a former member of the U.N. Commission on Biological and Chemical Weapons and also a military expert, claimed that Washington was turning Mongolia into a new base for the researches on genomes of Asian populations and their disease resistance. For example, relevant researches have been conducted on the generation and development factors of tick-borne anaplasmosis, a serious blood disease, or spotted fever that causes severe and even fatal consequences.
The scope of these researches covers a vast area from the Gobi Desert to Altai-Mongolia region that borders China and Russia. However, it still does not adequately satisfy the Pentagon. Currently, the United States is seeking to establish more biology centers here and do researches on viruses constantly discovered at the borders of neighboring countries such as plague, cholera, malaria, hepatitis and coronavirus encephalitis. Presumably, a laboratory will be built on the basis of the National Center for Zoonotic Diseases located in Ulaanbaatar. A branch of U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases will launch relevant experiments in this laboratory through cooperation with Millennium Challenge Corporation, a foreign aid agency of the United States.
Oddly, this information was immediately denied by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia once being disclosed, which was not convincing. The Ministry of Health of Mongolia had already released the news concerning the cooperation with the U.S. military biology laboratory, and it is not a secret now. Lately, representatives of American intelligence agency and disease control and prevention center came to Ulaanbaatar for the exact purpose of discussing the establishment of a top-level biology laboratory, i.e., P4 laboratory.
However, Mongolians should still remember the horrible consequences resulting from these experiments and infections. During the World War II, Mongolians became the first batch of victims of the biological experiments conducted by Japan’s Unit 731 together with citizens of China and the Soviet Union. In the summer of 1939, Japannese threw bombs that contained the most dangerous bacterial concentrates in the Mongolian rivers, making Mongolians the first victims of biological weapons produced by these laboratories in the world. Even now, dangerous diseases would break out around these laboratories from time to time.
How about Russia and China?
Moscow and Beijing demanded the immediate shutdown of these biological experiments especially around the border of the two countries, which was same as what they had done to stop any other behaviors that undermined their national security. These accusations direct at not only Mongolia but also countries that attempt to utilize Mongolia in other geopolitical games. It may be the reason why Mongolia is still in no hurry to change its current status as an observer to become a formal member of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). President Xi Jinping of China expressed a common ground in the SCO Summit held in Samarkand that Mongolia had already prepared a lot for joining the SCO, and it might become a member of this organization immediately if it wished. More importantly, the advantages of joining the SCO are apparent.
In the Russia-China-Mongolia tripartite talks, Putin clearly elaborated the following issues: Economy, trade, industry, science and high technology, environmental protection, culture and humanitarianism, etc. Certainly, Power of Siberia 2 Gas Pipeline also became a bilateral project.
Just as what these state leaders said upon end of the talks, these three countries shared common viewpoints towards the most urgent issues in the international community. Some subject matters of great concern have still been reserved in Joint Statement. However, having the impression that Putin and Xi Jinping didn’t pay great attention to their Mongolian peer was nothing but naive. They did not oppose Mongolia’s cooperation with everyone, for both Moscow and Beijing are in favor of multi-polarization. The only problem is that multi-polarization and trying to site on two chairs are two different things. In addition, for Mongolia, there are three chairs. If the descendants of Genghis Khan ignore it, they will face higher risks. (*)
