Environment, Urban Planning and Climate Change Minister Murat Kurum visited Beijing on Wednesday, during which the two countries agreed to establish a working group on residential development and urbanization.

Kurum met Chinese Housing and Urban-Rural Development Minister Ni Hong and Ecology and Environment Minister Huang Runqiu. Turkish and Chinese officials discussed cooperation for the COP31 process as well during Kurum’s visit.

In a social media post, Kurum said he discussed with his Chinese counterparts the COP31 summit Türkiye will host, urban planning, housing policies, urban transformation and work on smart cities.

"We shared our experience during the reconstruction of the century,” he said, referring to mass reconstruction across southern Türkiye following the February 2023 earthquakes, which killed tens of thousands of people.

"We also conveyed our vision for resilience against disasters and human-oriented urban planning. As two leading countries in housing and urban planning, we decided to set up a joint working group in this field and sign a memorandum of understanding. I believe our steps will improve our cooperation,” he said.

In another social media post following his meeting with Huang, Kurum said China demonstrated that net policies compliant with climate goals can lead to strong results, and they would maintain cooperation with the country for COP31 as well. "We shared our COP31 vision and explained that the process is a turning point, accelerating climate action, strengthening access to financing and ensuring tangible returns. I believe ties between the two countries will significantly contribute to our environmental goals,” he stated.

The ⁠annual ⁠COP conference is the main global forum for driving action on climate change. The long-established consensus among the world's scientists is that climate change is real, mostly caused by humans, and getting worse. Its main cause is greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas, which trap heat in the atmosphere. After a lengthy standoff last year, Türkiye and Australia agreed on a format in which Türkiye would host the COP31 summit and hold its presidency, and Australia would lead the negotiation process. The COP conference will take place in November in the southern Turkish province of Antalya.