Türkiye-China relations usher in new era through mutual visits, cooperation

By Mert Davut

ANKARA (AA) – Türkiye and China relations are entering a new era, as mutual visits between high-level officials of the two countries continue, head-of-state-level meetings are planned for the near future, and new cooperation opportunities in many fields are assessed by the two countries, ranging from politics to diplomacy and from energy to trade.

Last year, Turkish Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacir visited China in December and Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar held meetings in Beijing this May. In June, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan visited China for official talks and Bayraktar paid another visit to the country just last month.

The most recent visit was by Turkish Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek, as he held high-level bilateral meetings in China and co-chaired the second meeting of the Türkiye-China Intergovernmental Cooperation Committee (ICC), the highest-level consultation mechanism between the two countries, with the participation of Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan shared with journalists his assessments of the bilateral relations between Türkiye and China after he attended the BRICS Summit in Tatarstan, emphasizing that China is an exceptionally influential country in world politics and trade, noting that Türkiye will take steps to improve strategic partnership with the country.

President Erdogan stated that a visit from Chinese President Xi Jinping to Türkiye is expected in the near future, adding that the visits will be mutual, as Erdogan plans to pay a return visit to Beijing.

- Heads-of-state-level meetings to open new doors in cooperation

Korhan Kurdoglu, president of the Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK), told Anadolu that the Türkiye-China ICC meeting held last week was a preliminary event for the summit of state leaders, which is planned to take place in the coming days, with mutual investment and sustainable cooperation opportunities on the table.

“Both leaders (President Erdogan and President Xi) are aware of the strategic importance of Türkiye-China relations, and such high-level bilateral visits will add a new dimension to the already existing cooperation,” he said.

“Mutual visits of leaders and the new goals that will be determined in said visits will play an important role in moving forward, in particular, the targets for increasing the bilateral trade volume and diversifying investment areas will guide the business communities of the two countries,” he added.

Kurdoglu stated that opportunities in energy and digital technologies are at the forefront, noting that China’s advancements in electric vehicles (EVs) can increase Türkiye’s investment potential in the EV sector.

He mentioned that cooperation and investments can be made not only in the traditional sector but also in innovative areas, such as artificial intelligence (AI), energy security, and supply chain management.

Kurdoglu highlighted that economic relations between Türkiye and China offer great potential, and the joint efforts of the business communities in the two countries can achieve this potential healthily and sustainably.

“As trade and investment relations between Türkiye and China increase, it will contribute not only to the economy but also to the foundation of our political relations,” he said.

“As DEIK, we put our effort in to boost cooperation in different sectors, especially in digital technologies, and we are aware of the strong relations in this direction and we continue to work towards strengthening the cooperation of the business communities of the two countries,” he added.

*Writing by Emir Yildirim in Istanbul