THE IMPLEMENTATION OF “THIRD NEIGHBOR POLICY” OF MONGOLIA: THE ANALYSIS OF THE U.S.-MONGOLIA BILATERAL RELATIONS IN COUNTERING CHINA THREATS (2010-2019)

Abstract

The general conceptualization of Third Neighbor reflects Mongolia’s genuine interest to ensure its economic independence from its immediate neighbors, primarily from China. In 2010, Mongolia officially regarded the United States as its Third Neighbor and the two countries agreed to enhance their bilateral relations under the framework of Third Neighbor policy. This thesis, therefore, attempts to provide a comprehensive analysis on the implementation of Mongolia’s Third Neighbor Policy with regard to the U.S. from 2010 to 2019. It uses data from U.S.’ and Mongolia’s government documents to investigate the U.S.-Mongolian perception of threat from China prior to 2010 as well as their common national interests and offers detailed examination on the subject matter. After drawing a clean and concise picture on how the U.S. and Mongolia came to a decision to enhance their bilateral ties, the thesis further illustrates what actions the two governments have taken as a countermeasure to the growing China threats in the region.