Geopolitical Implications of Mongolia’s Strategic “Third Neighbour” Partnership

The geopolitical restructuring in the global landscape, particularly in Eurasia and the Indo-Pacific, has seen unprecedented developments impacting the regional and/or world order with varied opportunities and challenges for the stakeholders. Such stakeholders also include small states like Mongolia having vulnerability to changes in the external environment in terms of geopolitics. Due to its landlocked geographical position as a “buffer” between Russia and China, the protection of sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of a challenging regional security environment compelled Mongolia to adopt a unique foreign policy approach known as the “Third Neighbour” strategy. This strategy has now evolved into a more deliberate and strategic pursuit of partnerships with global and regional powers. Over the years, Mongolia has expanded its “Strategic Third Neighbour Partnership” with Japan, India, the USA, South Korea, Germany, Kazakhstan, and Turkey. Such partnerships as a balance-of-power strategy towards the two geographic neighbours have significant geopolitical implications that this chapter examines. Drawing on an international relations perspective and case studies of Mongolia’s relations with its strategic third neighbours, the chapter explores how this diplomacy serves to reinforce Mongolia’s sovereignty, bolster its economic resilience, and subtly balance regional power dynamics. It argues that while Mongolia’s strategic outreach enhances its global standing and autonomy, it also introduces new complexities in navigating shifting geopolitical currents, especially in the midst of intensifying great power competition in Eurasia and the Indo-Pacific. Finally, the paper sheds light on how small states like Mongolia craft strategic agency in an increasingly multipolar world.