HOHHOT, June 19 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia opened its third Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region consulate in the city of Hulunbuir, north China, on Thursday.

The new consulate opened on Thursday. The two other consulates are in the regional capital of Hohhot and Erenhot City. The Hulunbuir consulate is the only one in the east of the region.

Tsedenjav Sukhbaatar, ambassador of Mongolia to China, said the eastern and southern parts of Mongolia are rich in mineral resources, which need to be sent to China and the Asia-Pacific market through eastern Inner Mongolia.

China and Mongolia are also looking to expand cooperation in areas such as tourism, economy and culture.

Niu Zhensheng, vice head of Hulunbuir, said the city is an important economic channel that connects the northeast with north China. The consulate will not only boost the local Hulunbuir economy, but also regional cooperation.

Sharing a 682 kilometers border with Mongolia, Hulunbuir has three national-level trading ports that channel goods to Mongolia.