The 4th Türkiye-China Communication Forum, organized under the theme of “The 10th Year of the Belt and Road Initiative,” took place at CVK Park Bosphorus Hotel on Wednesday, highlighting the momentum in relations between the two countries.
Organized jointly by Turkuvaz Media Group, China Today magazine and China International Communications Group, and under the sponsorship of national flag carrier Turkish Airlines (THY), the forum saw the participation of high-state officials and business representatives.
Speaking at the opening of the forum, Çağatay Özden, the head of the Asia and Pacific Department of the Ministry of Trade, said, “Turkish-Chinese relations have gained significant momentum, especially in recent years, since they were elevated to the level of ‘strategic cooperation’ in 2010.”
“In 2015, China and Türkiye signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the Harmonization of the ‘Belt and Road’ and ‘Middle Corridor’ Initiatives,” he said, mentioning that cooperation between the two countries has developed in various fields, including economics, trade, culture, education, tourism and joint transportation projects.
He pointed out that the goal is to increase the trade volume between the two countries, which reached $44.6 billion in 2022, to $47 billion by the end of this year.
Gao Anming, the deputy president of the China International Communications Group (CICG), noted that humanity is currently grappling with challenges such as world peace and climate change.
“In this regard, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is a significant endeavor to achieve a shared destiny among peoples. The BRI aims to preserve comprehensive global cooperation,” Anming said in his opening remarks.
Liu Shaobin, the ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Ankara, mentioned that this year marks the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative, and over the past decade, the project has evolved from an abstract concept to a detailed dimension.
He emphasized the importance of the project, saying: “It has now become a subject of appreciation, a public good and an international cooperation topic. Significant achievements have been made. Notably, China is now signing Belt and Road cooperation documents with over 150 countries and more than 30 international organizations.”
Shaobin further highlighted their collaborative efforts in building a path to development together and creating the groundwork for over 3,000 cooperation projects within the initiative.
Serdar Çam, the deputy minister of tourism and culture, recalled that the Belt and Road project began in Kazakhstan in 2013, underscoring it emerged “as the result of efforts to reestablish global trade routes in a modern way and reconnect the system based on the historical Silk Road, the Industrial Revolution, geographical discoveries and technological developments.”
Çam explained that Türkiye has made significant efforts with projects like Marmaray and the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars Railway project.
Referring to the beginning of the march of civilization from the West to the East and Türkiye’s geopolitical position, Çam said: “We are trying to develop our relations with all states on the line of equality and sincerity. While tourism is developing rapidly, we are pleased that tourist guests from China have reached a culturally focused tourism potential. We strive to introduce the riches of Türkiye’s geography to the world as much as possible.”
