Astana Summit and New Era in Tourism: How Will the Meeting of Erdoğan and Xi Jinping Shape Turkey-China Tourism Relations? Korhan Kurdoğlu, Chairman of DEİK Turkey-China Business Council, stated that the increase in the tourism sector in recent years has made significant contributions to the deepening of mutual understanding between the countries. Kurdoğlu said, “The number of Chinese tourists visiting our country in 2023 was recorded as 248 thousand. The fact that this number is increasing every year is encouraging for us. In addition, China’s opening its doors to foreign investors and adopting new business practices offers important opportunities for our country to keep up with rapid developments.”
ISTANBUL (AA) – Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in Istanbul, Wei Xiaodong, stated that some Western countries have imposed customs duties on China’s electric vehicles, adding, “This is a typical trade protectionist behavior and China is absolutely against it.”
DEİK Turkey-China Business Council organized a panel titled “China Opening Up to the Outside World with a Win-Win Understanding” at DEİK’s headquarters in Istanbul with the participation of China’s Istanbul Consul General Wei Xiaodong and Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEİK) Turkey-China Business Council President Korhan Kurdoğlu.
Speaking at the opening of the panel, Wei Xiaodong said that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in Astana in July and reached an important agreement to deepen bilateral cooperation in areas such as trade, investment, infrastructure construction and tourism between China and Turkey.
Xiaodong stated that Turkey and China are important members of the G20 with a deep-rooted civilization, and that since the establishment of diplomatic relations, the people of the two countries have deepened concrete cooperation in various fields, promoted economic and national development, harmonized the development strategies of the two countries and ensured the stable development of relations.
Xiaodong, who said that China’s high-level opening-up policy will offer new opportunities to the entire world, including Turkey, said, “We will once again build a community of common destiny for all humanity. As the Chinese Consulate General in Istanbul, we are determined to implement the joint agreement reached at the Astana Summit, together with all our friends and friendly institutions in the region, in light of the strategic guidance of President Xi Jinping and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.”
Xiaodong emphasized that China is promoting high-quality economic development with new productive forces, and said, “According to the data of the National Bureau of Statistics of China, China’s GDP reached 61.7 trillion yuan in the first half of 2024, increasing by 5 percent annually. International organizations such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank have repeatedly revised China’s economic growth expectations upward recently, and more and more foreign companies are competing with each other to invest in China and set up business in China.”
– “China promotes high-quality economic development with new productive forces”
Pointing out that China is promoting high-quality economic development with new productive forces, Xiaodong stated that they will continue to pioneer innovation and deepen reforms to achieve high-quality development.
Xiaodong drew attention to the development of electric vehicles, lithium batteries and solar photovoltaic technologies produced by Chinese brands, and said, “Some Western countries have imposed tariffs on China’s electric vehicles, citing China’s development of these sectors through state subsidies. This is typical trade protectionism behavior, and China is firmly opposed to it.”
On the other hand, Xiaodong stated that the Consulate General continues to continuously improve its visa policies and shared the information that the Chinese visa application status of Turkish citizens has largely returned to its pre-epidemic level.
– “China is an important trade partner for Türkiye with a trade volume of $48 billion in 2023”
DEİK Turkey-China Business Council President Korhan Kurdoğlu also emphasized that China, one of the world’s largest economies, plays an important role on the global stage, and stated that Turkey serves as a strategic bridge between Asia and Europe.
Pointing out that geographical and economic advantages create significant potential for cooperation based on mutual interests, Kurdoğlu conveyed that DEİK serves as an important bridge for global trade and investment and has become a key player in the business circles of both countries over the years.
Kurdoğlu stated that they closely follow the economic and social developments in China and said, “We are carrying out a series of events aimed at understanding and explaining China and the dynamics of doing business in the country. We have carried out many successful events with our Chinese counterparts over the years. We aim to further enrich our economic cooperation with the Turkey-China Business Conference, which we will organize for the third time this year.”
Recalling that China is an important trading partner for Turkey with a trade volume of $48 billion last year, Kurdoğlu said, “However, the trade imbalance is a significant problem for Turkey. To address this, we consistently advocate for Chinese companies to increase their investments in Turkey, especially in high-value sectors.”
– “BYD’s $1 billion investment underlines the growing trust between our countries”
Kurdoğlu stated that Turkey offers many opportunities for foreign investors who want to invest with its young and dynamic population, qualified and competitive workforce and economic growth potential.
Noting that there have been significant positive developments in investment relations, Kurdoğlu continued as follows:
“ Chinese automotive giant BYD’s $1 billion investment underlines the growing trust between our countries.We believe that this investment will pave the way for more significant investments in various sectors. We aim to develop our cooperation with Asia in the cultural, commercial, tourism and service sectors. In this context, we believe that China’s Belt and Road Initiative offers significant opportunities for Turkey.”
Expressing that relations between Turkey and China extend beyond trade and economy, Kurdoğlu said, “There is also strong cooperation in cultural and diplomatic areas. Cultural exchange programs, educational collaborations and tourism activities play a vital role in strengthening the ties between our peoples.”
Kurdoğlu emphasized that the increase in tourism in recent years has contributed to the deepening of mutual understanding between countries, saying, “ In 2023, 248 thousand Chinese tourists visited our country, and it is encouraging to see this number increasing every year.“China’s opening of its doors to foreign investors offers significant opportunities to adopt new business practices and keep up with rapid developments.”
Ahmet Özer, Vice President of the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce, also stated that with the beginning of the reform and development process, China has undergone a financial transformation from a closed economy to an open economy, and noted that the country has transformed from a largely agricultural society to an industrialized one.
Pointing out that China has become the world’s second largest economy, Özer said that the Belt and Road Initiative will contribute to the strengthening of economic and trade relations between the two countries.