Germany hopes to get key raw materials from Mongolia

BERLIN (AP) — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says his country wants to strengthen ties to Mongolia, citing the country’s wealth of key commodities such as copper and rare earth metals. Speaking after a meeting in Berlin Friday with Mongolia’s prime minister, he said the two leaders had agreed to “deepen and also expand cooperation between our two countries.” Scholz said combating climate change and transforming the energy sectors would be the focus of a meeting in Mongolia next year, adding that the country has “enormous potential when it comes to wind and solar power.” Germany, meanwhile, is keen to strike deals to import more commodities from the landlocked Asian nation, thereby reducing its reliance on countries such as Russia and China.