President Erdoğan praises ties with China

[beijingwalker]

President Erdoğan praises ties with China
Relations crucial not only for welfare of two countries' peoples but also for international stability, says Erdoğan
News Service09:04 July 02, 2019

Maintaining momentum in relations between Turkey and China is crucial to both the welfare of their peoples and international stability, Turkey’s president said Monday.

“We are on the same page regarding President Xi's approach to the initiative, which is not only to improve transport and communication networks, to construct trade corridors and to harmonize trade policies and development strategies, but also to boost cultural and human ties in this framework,” Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said in an interview with Chinese state-run news agency Xinhua ahead of his official visit to the People’s Republic of China on Tuesday, referring to Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

"We are acting in line with the conscience that the Sino-Turkish economic and trade partnership, besides its regional benefits, has potential to contribute to world peace, prosperity and stability," Erdoğan said.

Erdoğan stressed that the issues of economy, trade, tourism, investment, security, defense and counterterrorism will be given more priority as areas of bilateral cooperation while regional and international issues on the common agenda will also be discussed during his visit.

He also said Turkey is one of the first countries to support China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

“There is a natural harmony between our Middle Corridor Initiative and China's Belt and Road Initiative,” Erdogan said. “This harmony allows us to cooperate with China in large geographies such as Central Asia and Africa.”

We have a concrete bilateral agenda on how we can improve our partnership," he said.

"I believe that we will witness together how our relations will be upgraded in all fields when we boost our consultations with our Chinese friends.”

https://www.yenisafak.com/en/world/president-erdogan-praises-ties-with-china-3484620

 

[beijingwalker]

Turkey, China share common future vision: Erdoğan
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan writes op-ed for China's Global Times before visiting Beijing on Tuesday
News Service09:07 July 02, 2019AA

Turkey’s president on Monday said his country and China share the same vision of world peace, global security and stability, as well as multilateralism and free trade.

“Turkey shares China's vision when it comes to serving world peace, preserving global security and stability, promoting multilateralism, and upholding the principle of free trade,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan wrote in a guest op-ed for China’s Global Times.

Erdoğan wrote the piece titled “Turkey, China share a vision for future” before meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing on Tuesday.

He said both Ankara and Beijing have “major responsibilities as a new world order emerges.”

Highlighting that for centuries the two countries have enjoyed close ties in the areas of the economy and culture, he added: “The Chinese and Turkish people, both representatives of ancient civilizations on the opposite ends of the Asian continent, have served humanity greatly by watching over the Silk Road and promoting commercial and cultural interaction.”

Also touching on China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Erdoğan said Turkey continues to “strongly” support the project – which contributes to bilateral cooperation -- as it was one of the first countries to endorse the initiative back in 2013.

“The Middle Corridor, an initiative led by Turkey, lies at the heart of the BRI. It is an important component of the project, which links Turkey to Georgia and Azerbaijan via rail, crosses the Caspian Sea and reaches China through Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan,” he noted.

Citing the recently-launched Baku-Tblisi-Kars (BTK) Railroad Project, Erdogan said Turkey also invested in other projects as part of the Middle Corridor, such as the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge over the Bosphorus, the Eurasia Tunnel and the Marmaray running under the Bosphorus, the 1915 Bridge over the Dardanelles, highways, high-speed railways, logistics hubs, and communication infrastructure.

He stressed that these projects would “directly contribute to the BRI’s goal of connecting Beijing to London.”

Erdoğan also wrote that the Middle Corridor will save time and serve the world the whole year round, which is a “valuable contribution” to the BRI. He added that the two countries would continue efforts to integrate the two projects.



Strategic relations

Erdoğan said bilateral relations reached the level of a strategic relationship in 2010, as both Turkey and China kept developing “mutual respect and common interests.”

“We aim to further improve win-win relations by sharing a vision for the future -- as embodied by the BRI,” he wrote.

Erdogan also underlined that both countries, "as late modernizers," are seeking to cover the development gap with Western nations in the 21st century.

He called achieving China’s “deserved place” on the world stage a “Chinese dream,” and to witness Turkey secure the place it deserves in the international arena a “Turkish dream.”

On the countries’ development plans, Erdogan said China has goals for the Chinese Communist Party's centennial in 2021 and the centennial of the People's Republic of China in 2049, just like Turkey has a series of goals for 2023, the centennial of the Republic of Turkey, and for 2053.

“Those targets, which aim to transform our countries into welfare societies, are among the many things that Turkey and China have in common,” he wrote.



- Tourism and trade

“Our strengthening bilateral cooperation promotes greater interaction between our peoples and facilitates progress in the area of tourism. China marked the Turkey Tourism Year in 2018 and hosted dozens of events around the country,” Erdogan wrote, voicing pleasure over the considerable rise in the number of Chinese tourists visiting Turkey.

“As we work toward our goal of hosting 1 million Chinese tourists, a target that I set together with President Xi, the bilateral relations between our countries will further improve,” he noted.

He also wrote that the two countries’ goals include doubling their bilateral trade volume to $50 billion and then redoubling that to $100 billion.

Erdogan urged Chinese business people to invest in Turkey, which has a strategic location as the crossroads of Asia and Europe.

He also said Chinese investments in Turkey “will be a commitment to the world's 16th-largest economy with 82 million young and dynamic citizens as well as our nation's hinterland with 1.6 billion people and a $24 trillion gross national product.

“Most important, an investment in Turkey is an investment into the BRI and our dream of building a future together.”

He reiterated Turkey’s firm commitment to strengthening cooperation with China in all areas, including education -- by taking the initial step to establish joint universities -- and defense.

“In the area of defense, Turkey and China proved their technological and manufacturing capabilities to the world by launching original projects in recent years.”

Global threats

On global challenges, Erdogan said that the threats to the global free trade system put all economies at risk, as economic globalization deepens.

“Such threats, which reflect the misconception that we still live in a unipolar world, undermine global peace and stability,” he wrote.

Stressing the need for a new international order which would serve the interests of all humanity, Erdogan wrote:

“Turkey and China, the world's most ancient civilizations, have a responsibility to contribute to building this new system.”

https://www.yenisafak.com/en/news/turkey-china-share-common-future-vision-erdogan-3484622

 

[Dai Toruko]

Savor this time, for it will soon be gone, never to return.

 

[Bengal71]

Savor this time, for it will soon be gone, never to return.

Who are you telling it to? Erdogan or China?

 

[Dai Toruko]

Who are you telling it to? Erdogan or China?

Germany

 

[Bengal71]

Germany

Not sure if sarcastic or not. I was genuinely asking as your comment wasn't clear. What has this thread got to do with Germany?

 

[Yankee-stani]

Not sure if sarcastic or not. I was genuinely asking as your comment wasn't clear. What has this thread got to do with Germany?

Dude OP is basically the Turkish Beijing Walker and Saif Al Arab just opens threads and trolls

 

[Rasengan]

Good pragmatic response from Erdogan. The Turkish economy is suffering and he needs Chinese investment and tourism. I hope Pakistan can have greater trade relations in the coming years. We have great tourism potential, from the landscape, historical sites, food and unique culture.