Outer Mongolia vs Inner Mongolia – Which One Is the Real Mongolia?

The book A Brief Introduction to the Republic of China, published by Taiwan, claims that

China is the largest Asian country, including Mongolia. In fact, Taiwan, or what some

might call the Republic of China, only recognised Mongolia as a nation in the 2000s,

while the PRC recognised and has had a strong relationship with Mongolia since its

founding. However, there is also the notion of Inner Mongolia and Outer Mongolia – so

what’s the difference between them?

Mongolia was the birthplace of Genghis Khan, and was once an empire that stretched

from China to the Near East. Despite its former glory, it was conquered by the Qing

dynasty, and had been under Chinese imperial rule before the formation of the ROC.

Inner Mongolia was the part of Mongolia that decided to remain under Chinese control,

while Outer Mongolia would declare its independence and become a Soviet satellite

state. The Qing dynasty treated the Mongols in Inner Mongolia relatively well, and

introduced Han Chinese migrants to the region, therefore creating closer ties with the

region. Since Outer Mongolia was further away from Beijing, the court was unable to

assert as much control over the region. One key reason that Inner Mongolia remained in

China was that the Beijing warlord, President Yuan of China, was keen to continue the

benefits given to the ruling class of Inner Mongolia, just as the Qing had done, which

incentivised the Mongol rulers to remain in China.

Throughout the history of the Republic of China, Mongolia acted as a buffer state

between China and the USSR. There was often conflict between Mongolian Soviet

forces and Chinese warlords over the border. However, with the competition and rivalry

between Communist China and the USSR, Mongolia once again became an important

buffer zone. By 2026, Russia’s power has declined and is less able to extend its power

into East Asia as it once did. China, on the other hand, has become the dominant nation

of East Asia, and Mongolia’s role has shifted dramatically.

Mongolia is currently a major mining powerhouse, with large reserves of copper and

coal. China is one of Mongolia’s biggest trading partners, and Mongolia acts as a transit

hub between China and Russia. However, to avoid being dominated by China or Russia,

Mongolia has a pragmatic foreign policy programme which also aims to partner with the

West. Mongolia itself is also very vulnerable to climate change, and has been an

important voice calling for action against climate change. However, with Russia in its

fourth year of war in Ukraine, it is less able to exert influence in East Asia, thus Mongolia

would be even more dominated by China, and it is increasingly important that it seeks

alliances elsewhere to maintain its autonomy.