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Turkey vows to enhance ties with China

(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-09-01 07:35

Turkey's government has vowed it firmly adheres to the one-China policy and will not allow anyone in Turkey to engage in sabotaging China's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Turkey's State Minister Zafer Caglayan conveyed these remarks from Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao Monday.

Caglayan is visiting China as a special envoy of Turkey's prime minister.

Turkey understood the measures the Chinese government took to calm the riot on July 5 in Urumqi, said Caglayan.

The riot in the capital of Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region killed 197 people and injured more than 1,600 others.

In the message Caglayan carried to Premier Wen Monday, Erdogan said he believed Xinjiang would return to a state of stability, harmony and prosperity. He said Turkey wanted to enhance high-level exchanges and trade cooperation with China as well as cooperation on international affairs in forums such as the United Nations.

Premier Wen said both countries should understand and support each other on major issues concerning their core interests and join together to deal with severe challenges.

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Mutual respect of sovereignty and territorial integrity, and noninterference in internal affairs are important criteria for international relations and the political basis for friendly cooperation between China and Turkey, Wen said.

Wen said the Chinese government had the capability to maintain stability and normal social order and would take effective measures to support economic development and social progress in Xinjiang. As developing, multiethnic countries, however, both China and Turkey are often confronted by extremism, separatism and terrorism, and China would like to join with Turkey to fight these "three forces", Wen said.

"China values its relationship with Turkey from a strategic height, cherishes the friendship between the two peoples, and is willing to make joint efforts with Turkey to fight resolutely the three forces," said Wen.

Caglayan said Turkey and China, which shared the same concerns and interests, did not want to see any harm done to bilateral ties. 

China was an important trade partner of Turkey, and Turkey would enhance cooperation with China in areas such as trade, investment, infrastructure and shipping in a bid to jointly tackle the current economic downturn, said Caglayan, who arrived in Beijing on Saturday.

Xinhua - China Daily