AKIPRESS.COM - Mayor of Ulaanbaatar Nyambaatar Khishgee has held a meeting with Mayor of Beijing Yin Yong during his working visit to Beijing, China, Montsame reported.

Mayor Nyambaatar Khishgee began his series of visits to sister cities with Beijing. During the meeting, the two sides exchanged views on developing cooperation in the economy, foreign trade, science, and traffic congestion mitigation.

Mayor Nyambaatar expressed gratitude to the Chinese Government for its concessional loans and grants, which have enabled the successful implementation of large-scale infrastructure projects in Ulaanbaatar, including roads, bridges, underpasses, schools, and kindergartens.

Mayor of Beijing Yin Yong thanked his Mongolian counterpart for visiting and introduced some of the ongoing development projects in Beijing.

"Due to recent heavy rainfall in Beijing, we had to temporarily close several bridges. Over the past two days, relevant officials and emergency crews have worked around the clock. Beijing now has over seven million vehicles, and traffic congestion remains unresolved, especially during peak hours. Vehicle emissions also account for 50% of the city's air pollution," Beijing Mayor Yin Yong stated.

The authorities will update the public transport planning, enhance road infrastructure, upgrade the traffic surveillance system, and apply AI technologies in traffic management. They will also develop satellite cities and relocate 30,000 civil servants to the newly established cities.

"Moreover, we are working on establishing a new zone to centralize state-owned enterprises there. The development of satellite cities is the optimal solution for reducing urban congestion. We have been working on this initiative since 2014," he said.

Mayor of Ulaanbaatar noted that 24 megaprojects will be implemented in Mongolia from 2025 to 2028, focusing on addressing traffic congestion, air pollution, and enhancing overall socioeconomic and infrastructure development.

"Under the 20-Minute City concept, we are developing Selbe City and have begun construction of apartments for more than 4,000 households. Preparations are also underway for major transportation projects, including metro, tram, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), and elevated road systems. Ulaanbaatar and Beijing established sister-city relations in 2014, and we are committed to deepening this partnership," the mayor noted.

The two sides emphasized the importance of expanding cooperation in disaster prevention, particularly flood management. Beijing will dispatch water engineering experts to Ulaanbaatar to conduct studies on the development of stormwater drainage systems, pipelines, and flood-control infrastructure.

The two cities also agreed to establish a Ulaanbaatar City Trade Representative Office in Beijing and to intensify cooperation at all levels.