MONGOLIA:China is monitoring events in Mongolia as an uneasy calm is restored, writes Clifford Coonanin Beijing.
MONGOLIA'S RULERS began the process of cleaning up after a night of riots in the capital, Ulan Bator, as parliamentarians tried to decide the next step after the protests, which are seen as a setback in the Central Asian country's democratisation process.
Troops and armoured cars were on the streets of Ulan Bator after President Nambariin Enkhbayar declared four days of martial law. Rioters threw stones, smashed windows and set the headquarters of the ruling Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (MPRP) on fire, and five people were reported dead.
"Some citizens, refusing preliminary conclusion of the June 29th parliament elections, organised on July 1st a demonstration that turned into public disorder and riot; resulting in the burning down and looting of the headquarters of the MPRP, the Central Cultural Palace and cars," said state news agency Montsame.
Officials were working to clear 40 tons of debris left by the rioting, which was sparked by anger over perceived unfairness in the parliamentary election.
According to estimates following the elections, the MPRP won a comfortable majority in the Great Hural, Mongolia's parliament.
Independent observers said they thought the elections had been fair.
Parliamentary speaker Lundeejantsan said: "The parliament has debated the declaration of the state of emergency by the president and has approved it." A special session of parliament has been sitting over the past two days to work out a way to prevent political violence.
Mongolia is the size of western Europe but has a small population of almost three million people, giving it one of the world's lowest population densities - 1.7 people per square kilometre. The landlocked country encompasses mountains, vast swathes of desert including the Gobi, and grassland steppes.
Beneath this varied topography lie huge reserves of copper, coal, uranium and other minerals, which mining companies have been exploring busily to exploit.
Since 2000, Mongolia has been a successful exporter of copper and gold and the country's economic future is seen as hinging on allowing production to begin at a copper and gold mine at Oyu Tolgoi. The project is backed across the political spectrum - both parties in the election had campaigned on a promise to give cash payouts to every Mongolian from big mining projects - and there had been hopes the country would have a period of political stability to allow it to fight rising prices and develop its natural resources market.
Mongolia's position as a buffer nation between Russia and China has long meant it has a geopolitical significance. The country functioned as a satellite state of the Soviet Union until 1990, and it has held five parliamentary elections since then. Violence following polls is rare and the country has done much to establish itself in the international community.
In 2003 it sent 120 soldiers to support American troops in Iraq, and still has 100 troops stationed there. George W. Bush became the first US president to visit in November 2005.
Neighbouring China is home to the province of Inner Mongolia and Beijing's reaction to the unrest is being closely watched, as China dislikes instability on its borders. The response has been cautious so far. Foreign ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said China hoped Mongolia could maintain stability, and said he had not heard of any moves to tighten security along the border or to restrict travels.
"As a friendly neighbour of Mongolia's, we hope China-Mongolia relations can keep up their sound growth and personnel exchanges can remain normal," Mr Liu said.
Two years ago Mongolia celebrated the 800th anniversary of its founding by the great warrior Genghis Khan, whose empire stretched to Poland and Hungary and included the whole of China.