Turkish president visit to focus on business

By Zhang Xin (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-06-25 08:25

Turkish President Abdullah Gul's visit is aimed at finding common ground with China.

Arzuhan Yalcindag, chairwoman of the Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association (TUSIAD), told China Daily yesterday that Gul's 6-day visit will have a strong "business focus".

"The visit is enabling us (the delegation of politicians, government officials and business people) to improve our knowledge of China," she said, noting that Turkey, also an emerging economy, is looking to China for business opportunities.

She said the president and delegation that she is part of will attend the Turkey-China business forum on Friday.

Trade and business cooperation with China is particularly "significant" against the backdrop of the financial crisis, Yalcindag said.

"Turkey is the 'closest' European country to China, not just geographically but in some other aspects," Yalcindag said. "We are in the same line to strive for a bigger say in the global financial institutions and we look forward to boosting cooperation with China in the business and trade sector to tide over the financial crisis."

Yalcindag said TUSIAD, a non-governmental representative organization advocating for 64 percent of Turkey's private-sector business, is not only pushing for Turkey's full membership in the European Union - the destination for half of its exports - but for strengthening the bond with China because "the partnership will make Turkey stronger".

"The fact that Turkey has a customs union agreement with the EU and is transcontinental in geography means Turkey is a strategic place for trade and business," she said, noting Turkey's economy was "integrated" into the world economy.

On climate change, she said TUSIAD sees "alternative energy technology" as a new and promising business field.

She said the countries should also cooperate in other sectors, including the automobile industry, construction materials, agriculture and machinery.

Yalcindag pointed out that Turkey imports $70 billion-worth of goods from China a year while China only imports $2 billion from Turkey.

"But we are expecting a breakthrough in the tourism industry," she said.