Türkiye wants to advance relations with China in every field, but more mutual understanding is needed, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Thursday, while also pointing to a trade deficit with Beijing.
"Türkiye-China relations are an important topic for us. As you know, in recent weeks, with the signature of our president, we have implemented the (desicsion) of not applying visas to Chinese citizens. This is, of course, actually a reflection of our desire to advance relations with China," Fidan told reporters.
The minister referred to the new policy that allows visa-free entry for short-term tourist travel and transit stays of up to 90 days within 180 days period for Chinese nationals.
"We have a policy set that includes trade, investment and connectivity as main agenda items ... It is one of the few countries with which we conduct the most trade, approximately $50 billion, but there is a very large trade deficit between us and China. Of course, discussions are continuing to address this trade deficit," he added, in response to a question by a journalist.
"Currently, Turkish foreign trade breaks its own record every year. Our industry and service sector are, fortunately, very strong. But let's say we have a very balanced foreign trade with the European Union now. It's revolving around $230 billion, which is almost 50%-50% import-export. This is a situation that is immensely beneficial to both sides, producing tremendous economic benefits and mobility. Now we want to achieve the same with China," he further said.
Moreover, he noted that they "have a lot of instruments to work with in China," as he cited that Ankara also had a trade gap with other countries like Russia, where he said it stems mainly from energy.
"We can do this. At the forefront of this is increasing China's investments in Türkiye. In other words, our Industry and technology minister has really put in a lot of effort for certain Chinese investors, especially electric car manufacturers, to invest in Türkiye," Fidan said.
"We see that the Chinese have reservations about bringing certain investments to Türkiye. We sometimes worry about whether this is due to certain political attitudes. But I want to express this – our desire is to progress relations with China in every field."
Answering another question on connectivity, the Silk Road and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Fidan suggested there was interest at one time, but then it stalled.
"While it (China) made a serious effort in implementing the Belt and Road Initiative and energy lines, and the work on ports must have been sufficient, (so) we've seen a lack of interest in railways, particularly those passing through Türkiye, so far. There was some interest at one point; the project progressed to a certain point, then stalled. What I want to say here is that this project can be revived," he said.
"We attach importance to our cooperation with China," he concluded.
