Türkiye and China discussed possibilities of cooperation in innovative technologies in many fields, ranging from electric vehicles to renewable energy and battery production to nuclear power plants, a senior official said Thursday.
On a visit to China, Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır said electric vehicles and battery investments were the centers of attention in his meetings in Beijing with Chinese Minister of Science and Technology Yin Hejun and Minister of Industry and Information Technology Jin Zhuanglong.
He said he shared the level of industrial and technological capacity that Türkiye reached with breakthroughs in development and innovation, and his Chinese counterparts are closely following the country’s progress.
Kacır pointed out that China is one of the countries that heavily invested in high technology, becoming one of the world’s leaders in advanced technologies.
"We evaluated the ways to cooperate with Chinese companies to invest in our country in the coming period," he told Anadolu Agency (AA).
Kacır said battery technologies constitute "an integral part" of electric vehicle production and he wants to "make Türkiye into a production base for electric vehicles and batteries."
He recalled the Turkish electric automobile line made by automotive manufacturer, Togg, as an important step toward that goal.
Renewable energy technologies
Kacır pointed out that renewable energy technologies stand out as a potential area of cooperation, and said Türkiye ranks first in Europe, fourth in the world in solar energy, and scores in the top five in Europe in wind energy.
Noting that China is the leader in solar panel production, Kacır added: "We believe that we can further advance our capabilities in renewable energy technologies through joint projects."
Kacır noted that Türkiye’s first nuclear power plant is being built in Akkuyu, located in Mersin, the southern port city, in cooperation with Russia and it will soon be commissioned.
He emphasized China was the first country to commission fourth-generation nuclear power plants using molten salt reactors, and therefore there could be potential areas of cooperation between the two countries.
"Türkiye produces its electric locomotive traveling at a speed of 160 kilometers per hour (99 miles per hour), and we will put in an important effort in the development and production of high-speed trains," he said, noting that the two countries can work together in rail system technologies.
Kacır added that Türkiye can cooperate with China in the health industry for vaccines, medicine and medical devices.
'Door to Europe'
Kacır pointed out that Türkiye offers opportunities to Chinese brands in terms of industrial investments.
"As a member of the Customs Union, Türkiye opens the door to the European Union for Chinese brands," he said. He stated that they also discussed opportunities that Türkiye can offer to Chinese companies for investment.
"We discussed joint calls for science, R&D projects, and how the cooperation can be carried further," he said.
Kacir visited multiple industrial facilities in cities in China and met executives and officials of Chinese companies.
He also visited the electric vehicle battery production facility of Farasis Energy, the project partner of Togg, in Jiangxi province.
Kacır also inspected the electric vehicle factories of Chery, SAIC Motor, Zeekr (Geely) and GAC Motor, China's leading state-owned automotive companies.
He was expected to visit the campus where the Chinese technology giant, Huawei, is exhibiting new technologies developed in communication, cloud computing and automotive fields, and will meet the company's board of directors.