Ariha Shate Road Border Port in Inner Mongolia
Ariha Shate Road Border Port (阿日哈沙特公路口岸) is located in Ariha Shate Town, Xiwuzhuer Banner, Hulunbuir City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China, precisely at boundary marker No. 622 on the China-Mongolia border. It corresponds with Habarjaya Port in Khövsgöl Province, Mongolia.
Technical Cooperation:
In March 1989, Hulunbuir League and Khövsgöl Province initiated mutual visits and signed a preliminary agreement to commence border trade and economic cooperation. Mongolia’s Ministry of Trade and Industry submitted a draft to China’s Ministry of Commerce proposing the establishment of Ariha Shate – Habarjaya Port to expand bilateral border trade. In July 1989, a trade delegation from Xiwuzhuer Banner and Khövsgöl Province finalized a barter trade contract in Hailar. Subsequently, following Mongolia’s approval of Habarjaya Port, the People’s Government of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region approved Ariha Shate as a temporary customs point for the Sino-Mongolian border in September 1989. The port conducted its first customs clearance on September 16, 1990.
Construction and Development:
Since its official opening in 1992, Ariha Shate Border Port has been developed under the principle of “opening first, then standardizing; constructing while opening.” Despite financial constraints, the autonomous region, league, and Xiwuzhuer Banner governments collectively allocated 15.855 million yuan for port infrastructure. The port now includes a unified inspection hall with traditional Mongolian architectural characteristics spanning 458 square meters, along with office and living spaces for inspection units covering 473 square meters. Additionally, facilities such as a 158-square-meter cafeteria, a 215-square-meter office and living building for transportation management stations, and auxiliary facilities like boiler rooms and power rooms covering 105 square meters are in place. A 1,350-square-meter hardened road surface and 1,600 meters of port fencing have also been completed. Furthermore, a four-level sand and gravel road project spanning 82 kilometers from Aratan Emole Town in Xiwuzhuer Banner to the port, and the erection of 32.5 kilometers of IOKVA transmission lines to the port, have significantly improved infrastructure reliability.
After nearly a decade of construction and development, Ariha Shate Border Port has optimized its environment, enhanced its operational capabilities, reduced clearance costs, and increased the volume of import and export goods annually. It has become a crucial conduit and bridge for China’s northern opening strategy within the Sino-Russian-Mongolian economic triangle. However, with expanding cooperation between China and Mongolia and China’s intensified northward opening, the seasonal opening and closing of the port can no longer adequately support the political, economic, and cultural exchanges between the two regions. Hulunbuir and the eastern regions of Mongolia share historical ties and strong economic complementarity. The eastern provinces of Mongolia (Khövsgöl Province, Sukhbaatar Province, and Kent Province) possess abundant resources and natural ecological conditions, yet their economic development lags behind. Some light industrial products struggle to meet local demand, especially for significant imports of food and vegetables, which are heavily reliant on neighboring countries. Developing their land, forests, livestock, minerals, and tourism resources are critical priorities for the autonomous banner.
