Crimea First, Mongolia Next?

The recent events in the Ukraine and the Russian annexation of Crimea are being watched closely in the People's Republic of China. Many western commentators have warned that inaction by the international community regarding Russia's seizure of Crimea could be taken by the Chinese as a "green light" to seize the Senkaku Islands or perhaps even make aggressive moves towards Taiwan (less likely). However, the Red Chinese might be looking in a different direction, to an area where the west has shown very little concern or compassion in the past: Mongolia. Weibo, the Chinese communist version of "Twitter" has exploded recently in messages showing the map of China including Outer Mongolia and the on-line Chinese celebrity Cui Chenghao has put out the message that the Soviet Union also, in the past, held a referendum after military forces occupied the country and then made Mongolia the first Soviet satellite state, a part of the USSR in all but name. The western powers took no notice at the time and the only one to show any concern or willingness to do anything about it was the Empire of Japan. The Chinese aggression comes from the false belief, spread through indoctrination by the communist government in Peking, that Mongolia should belong to China.

Bogd Khan

This, of course, is completely absurd. Mongolia never belonged to China in all of history. Manchuria and Mongolia were first united under the Qing Dynasty with the Manchu Emperor becoming the Great Khan of Mongolia after the death of Ligden Khan, the last Emperor of the Yuan Dynasty of Mongolia. After that, the Qing Dynasty later came to reign over the whole of China. However, unsatisfied with throwing off the Qing Dynasty in their own country (and with it, most of traditional Chinese culture and tradition) the Republic of China claimed ownership over all the lands previously ruled by the Manchu Emperor even though none of these places had anything to do with the revolution and overthrow of the last Qing Emperor. The Mongols always held fast to their traditions and customs and that includes, of course, the Mongolian style of monarchy. So, when the last Qing Emperor, who was also Great Khan of the Mongols, was deposed and confined to the Forbidden City, the Mongols granted secular power as monarch to their spiritual leader who is known to history as the Bogd Khan. Chinese republican forces deposed him but were chased out by the White Russian/Mongol army of Baron Ungern von Sternberg who restored the Bogd Khan to power. However, that ended later the same year, in 1921, when the Soviets occupied Mongolia.

Great Khan of the Mongols also

The Chinese never consistently held control over Mongolia at any point in history, before or after the revolution. Mongolia was in a partnership, a personal union, with the Emperor of Manchuria, before China had anything to do with either of them, before all three came together under the Great Qing Empire. But also for that reason, the close ties between Manchuria and Mongolia were never forgotten so that when the Japanese forces corrected a great historical injustice by restoring the last Emperor of Manchuria to his legitimate throne, this was done with the expectation that the new empire would include, in some way, the Mongols as well, whether as united together in one empire or as partners under a shared monarchy with the Empire of Manchukuo. Aisin-Gioro Pu-yi had, by every right, never ceased to be legitimately the Emperor of Manchuria and Great Khan of the Mongols and this was more or less recognized by Japan as well since all Japanese official correspondence on the issue always grouped the two countries together as addressing the Manchu and Mongol peoples. There was no doubt that Mongolia was not being forgotten even though the rest of the world turned a blind eye to first the Chinese and then the Soviets occupation and oppression of independent Mongolia. Today, the People's Republic of China is carrying on this history of aggression against the Mongols who are cut off and surrounded by huge powers that have shown little consideration for their wishes; Russia and China.

Ukraine's situation has taught the Chinese communists a lesson. They see their supposed friendship with Russia for the farce that it is, as everyone seems to realize except the Russians. They see Russia able to annex territory from a neighboring country and get away with it, with the rest of the world doing nothing practically to stop them. They also see western weakness and hypocrisy on display with the way the Europeans and Americans condemned the secession of Crimea from Ukraine while in the past they supported the secession of Kosovo from Serbia. They do not think anyone can stop them from taking Mongolia and, sadly, it is easy to see that they may be correct. In the past, Japan could and did offer great help to the Mongols in defending themselves against Soviet and Chinese aggression but today, thanks to Article 9, Japan is forbidden to offer any real assistance and so there is no one close at hand who could be looked to by the Mongolians as an alternative to domination by Russia or China. All loyal forces should unite in support of the Mongols and in restoring the Mongolian monarchy as well as reuniting the Mongol people into one country where they will be safe and secure in their own way of life.