Wang Yi Holds Talks with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu

On January 12, 2022, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province.

Wang Yi first conveyed President Xi Jinping's cordial greetings to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, saying that under the joint guidance of the two heads of state, China-Turkey relations have maintained the development momentum and anti-pandemic cooperation has become a new highlight of bilateral relations. Last year, the two sides jointly celebrated the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties and the two heads of state exchanged congratulatory messages. We should follow the direction set by the two heads of state, respect each other, conduct candid exchanges, enhance mutual trust and overcome disturbance so as to consolidate the political foundation of bilateral relations and push for sound and steady development of bilateral relations. Wang Yi stressed, China and Turkey, as strategic partners, should be committed to enhancing mutual trust and mutual support. I have the following hopes for both sides. First, support each other in safeguarding respective sovereignty, security and development interests. Second, abide by non-interference in each other's internal affairs, a basic norm of international relations. Third, not participate in activities against each other on international occasions. Fourth, strengthen communication and enhance mutual understanding on cognitive differences in issues such as history and ethnic groups through bilateral channels.

Çavuşoğlu conveyed President Erdogan's sincere greetings to President Xi Jinping, saying that Turkey is pleased with the sound development momentum of Turkey-China relations and is willing to give full play to the role of the Turkey-China Inter-governmental Cooperation Committee, the Foreign Ministers' Consultation Mechanism and the Joint Economic and Trade Committee to deepen cooperation in various fields and push for greater development of bilateral relations.

Wang Yi said, Turkey is the first country to sign an inter-governmental cooperation document with China on jointly building the Belt and Road, which demonstrates the importance Turkey attaches to the pragmatic cooperation between the two countries. Last year, the trade volume between China and Turkey increased significantly, demonstrating the huge potential of bilateral economic and trade cooperation. We should make good use of the renminbi-Turkish lira swap arrangement, seek greater synergy between our development strategies, advance landmark projects in fields such as nuclear power, and expand cooperation in new energy, 5G, cloud computing, big data and other fields. China is willing to import more high-quality products from Turkey, and Turkey is welcome to make good use of the China International Import Expo and other channels to promote Turkish products.

Çavuşoğlu said, Turkey speaks highly of the positive role played by bilateral cooperation in economy, trade and investment as well as connectivity between Turkey and China in enhancing Turkey's economic strength. Turkey stands ready to seek greater synergy between the Middle Corridor project and the Belt and Road Initiative. The new currency swap agreement between the two sides is very timely and Turkey will encourage its enterprises to make full use of this arrangement. Turkey is willing to actively promote bilateral cooperation in nuclear power and fully tap the huge potential of cooperation in new energy and other fields.

Both sides agreed to strengthen people-to-people and cultural exchanges. Çavuşoğlu said, Beijing will become the only city in the world that hosts both the Summer and Winter Olympics. I believe that the Beijing Olympic Winter Games 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 looking forward to participating in the Games in China. Wang Yi welcomes Turkish athletes' participation in the Olympic Winter Games in China, saying that China will facilitate their smooth participation.

The two sides exchanged views on the situation in Kazakhstan and other international and regional issues of common concern. Wang Yi introduced China's principled position. Wang Yi said, China attaches importance to Turkey's unique role in regional and international affairs, and stands ready to strengthen multilateral coordination and cooperation, jointly safeguard true multilateralism, make efforts to promote greater democracy in international relations, and safeguard the common interests of emerging market economies including China and Turkey.

Wang Yi introduced China's position on the AUKUS (Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States) nuclear submarine cooperation upon request, stressing the three countries' move sets a bad precedent, is bound to create the risk of nuclear proliferation and provoke a new round of regional arms race, and has aroused strong dissatisfaction among regional countries. China is ready to work with other countries to uphold the international nuclear non-proliferation regime.