evidence: He decided instead on a more low-key approach. Elbegdorj, Xi and their wives enjoyed a meal of Mongolian staples—grilled meat, cheese, dumplings—at the president’s residence in a southern part of the capital Ulaanbaatar. In these quiet surroundings, Elbegdorj says the two leaders broached several sensitive issues. They discussed the potential for ethnic Mongolians to freely travel between Mongolia and the Chinese territory of Inner Mongolia. They also spoke of nationalist Chinese calls for Mongolia to be absorbed into the People’s Republic, and even discussed Tibet’s spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, who is venerated by Mongolian Buddhists yet reviled by Beijing as a dangerous seditionary. [...] Yet Elbegdorj today has become one of China’s harshest critics in a region where few in power dare speak out. This stems not least from Beijing’s recent aggressive efforts to curb Mongolian language and culture in Inner Mongolia, which lies to Mongolia’s south. [...] "Our location is strategic because Mongolia sits on the backbone of China, while punching the underbelly of Russia," says Elbegdorj with a chuckle.