Xi sends message of sympathy to Turkish president

President Xi Jinping sent a message of sympathy on Thursday to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan over his and his wife's infection with COVID-19, wishing them a speedy recovery.

In his message, Xi said that he and his wife Peng Liyuan extended sincere sympathy to Erdogan and his wife Emine Erdogan, after learning about their infection. China will continue to firmly support Turkey in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, he added.

On Saturday, Erdogan said on a social media platform that he and his wife had been infected with the Omicron variant of the virus and have mild symptoms of COVID-19.

Xi also said in the message that he attaches great importance to the development of China-Turkey relations and is ready to work with Erdogan to continuously push forward the two countries' strategic cooperative relationship to a new level.

Turkey was the first country to sign an intergovernmental cooperation document with China on jointly building the Belt and Road.

Despite the impact of COVID-19, two-way trade between China and Turkey reached $24.08 billion in 2020, with a year-on-year increase of 15.6 percent, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.