evidence: 7Although the MTAC was charged with administration of Mongolia, Tibet, and other frontier regions, this paper focuses on MTAC documents related to Mongolia. The case of Mongolia, encompassing Inner and Outer Mongolia, stands out for its particularly complex geopolitical position between the former Soviet Union and the PRC during the Cold War. The case of Mongolia is also of particular interest due to its territorial complexity: the division between Inner Mongolia, an autonomous region in the PRC, and the independent Republic (formerly People’s Republic) of Mongolia, further complicates investigation of shifting MTAC claims of sovereignty and portrayals of the region(s). The MTAC did not recognise the Mongolian People’s Republic, even after its admission to the United Nations, and until 2002 instead referred to the country’s territory as "Outer Mongolia," and the territory within the autonomous region in the PRC as "Inner Mongolia." Accordingly, narrowing the research scope allows a clearer understanding of the dynamics in the ROC’s specific portrayal of Mongolia, including Inner Mongolia, "Outer" Mongolia, and Mongolian people more generally. [...] In fact, Mongolia’s function as a Chinese buffer zone was seen as especially necessary because of Soviet expansionism. Furthermore, since Outer Mongolia could not be expected to defend itself against Soviet influence, responsibility landed on the ROC to protect its vulnerable frontier.