Nation-building, Ethnicity and Natural Resources
The Mongolian economy has grown rapidly in recent years, thanks to a mining sector based on abundant resources like coal, copper, and gold. The mining boom has been stimulated by Mongolia’s energy-hungry southern neighbour China, which plays a significant role, not only through importing natural resources but also through capital investment in the growing economy. In recent decades some inland port towns, such as Chehee/Shiveehüree and Ganchmod/Gashuunsukhait have grown up along the border between the two countries. Scenes of trucks lining up at customs posts to transport Mongolian coal to China are common. The trade in natural resources clearly has significance not only for the economy but also for nation-building and ethnicity construction. This paper examines the role of ethnic Mongols from China in the economic cooperation between the two countries. It will focus on the story of an ethnic Mongolian trucker, formerly a herder in western Inner Mongolia, discussing the ways in which he has experienced interactions with Chinese and Mongolian nationals, as he identifies himself as a Chinese citizen and an ethnic Mongol.