Source: Website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
On January 12, 2022, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with Turkish Foreign Minister Tsavushoglu in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province.
Wang Yi first conveyed President Xi Jinping's cordial greetings to President Erdogan, saying that under the joint leadership of the two heads of state, China-Turkey relations have maintained the momentum of development, and anti-epidemic cooperation has become a new bright spot in bilateral relations. Last year, the two sides jointly celebrated the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, and the two heads of state exchanged congratulatory messages. In accordance with the direction set by the two heads of state, we should respect each other, have frank exchanges, enhance mutual trust, overcome interference, consolidate the political foundation of bilateral relations, and promote the healthy and stable development of bilateral relations. Wang Yi stressed that as strategic partners, China and Turkey should be committed to enhancing mutual trust and mutual support. It is hoped that the two sides will, first, support each other in safeguarding their own sovereignty, security, and development interests; second, abide by the basic norm of international relations, which is not interfering in each other's internal affairs; third, not participate in activities aimed at each other on international occasions; and fourth, strengthen communication through bilateral channels to enhance mutual understanding on issues of historical, ethnic, and other cognitive differences.
Chavusoglu conveyed President Erdogan's sincere greetings to President Xi Jinping, saying that the Turkish side is pleased with the good development momentum of Turkish-Chinese relations and is willing to give play to the role of the Turkish-Chinese Intergovernmental Cooperation Committee, the Foreign Ministers' Consultation Mechanism and the Joint Economic and Trade Committee to deepen cooperation in various fields and promote greater development of bilateral relations.
Wang Yi said that Turkey is the first country to sign an intergovernmental cooperation document with China on jointly building the "Belt and Road", which reflects the importance that Turkey attaches to the pragmatic cooperation between the two countries. Last year, the volume of trade between China and Turkey increased significantly, demonstrating the great potential of economic and trade cooperation between the two countries. The two sides should make good use of the RMB local currency swap arrangement, strengthen the docking of development strategies, promote landmark projects such as nuclear power, and expand cooperation in new energy, 5G, cloud computing, and big data. The Chinese side is willing to increase the import of high-quality products from the soil, and welcomes the Turkish side to use channels such as the China International Import Expo to promote and promote local products.
Chavusoglu said that Turkey highly appreciates the positive role played by Turkey-China economic, trade, investment cooperation and interconnection in enhancing Turkey's economic strength, and is willing to strengthen the docking of the "Middle Corridor" plan and the joint construction of the "Belt and Road". The newly concluded local currency swap agreement between the two sides is very timely, and the Turkish side will encourage enterprises to make full use of this arrangement. The Turkish side is willing to actively promote nuclear power cooperation between the two sides and fully tap the huge potential of cooperation in new energy and other areas.
The two sides agreed to strengthen people-to-people exchanges between the two countries. Chavusoglu said that Beijing will become the only "double Olympic city" in the world, and believes that the Beijing Winter Olympics will be as successful as the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. The Turkish side fully agrees that sports should not be politicized, and Turkish athletes are full of expectations for participating in China. Wang Yi welcomed Turkish athletes to China to participate in the Winter Olympic Games, which will facilitate their smooth participation.
The two sides exchanged views on international and regional issues of common concern, such as the situation in Kazakhstan. Wang Yi introduced China's principled position. Wang Yi said that China attaches importance to the unique role of Turkey in regional and international affairs, and is willing to strengthen multilateral coordination and cooperation, jointly safeguard genuine multilateralism, promote the democratization process of international relations, and safeguard the common interests of emerging market economies, including China and Turkey.
Wang Yi briefed china's position on nuclear submarine cooperation between the United States, Britain, and Australia, stressing that the three countries' move has set a bad precedent, which is bound to cause the risk of nuclear proliferation and provoke a new round of regional arms race, which has aroused strong dissatisfaction among regional countries. China is ready to work with other countries to jointly safeguard the international nuclear non-proliferation regime.