Erdogan will make first visit to China as prime minister
Baku, April 7 (AZERTAC). Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is set to arrive in China today for a four-day official visit, the first prime ministerial visit in 27 years. Erdogan visited China in 2003 as the chairman of the ruling Justice & Development (AK) Party. Erdogan will be accompanied by a large delegation of businessmen, ministers, bureaucrats, academics and journalists.
The two countries are expected to sign several agreements, including those on nuclear energy and coal. The nuclear energy agreements are anticipated to be about cooperation in the field of nuclear energy and its use for peaceful purposes.
During his visit, Erdogan is scheduled to meet with Chinese President Hu Jintao, Premier Wen Jiabao and Vice President Xi Jinping, who is expected to be the next president.
Erdogan will begin his visit to China in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and will be the first Turkish prime minister to visit its capital, Urumqi. He will also visit the Turkish industrial zone, a particular area devoted by Urumqi to improve trade relations between Turkey and Xinjiang province. While still in the city, Erdogan will also meet with Nur Bekri, the chairman of the autonomous region.
After visiting Xinjiang, Erdogan will proceed to Beijing, where he will take part in high-level meetings with China`s president, premier and vice president. Shanghai, regarded as China`s economic capital, will be Erdogan`s last stop in the country, where he is expected to call on Chinese businessmen to invest in Turkey.
It is believed that the talks between Erdogan and his counterparts will include all aspects of bilateral relations, opportunities for cooperation in many areas and the regional and international issues that concern both countries.
Lu Jian, an executive of West Asian and North African Affairs Department of Chinese Foreign Ministry, said on Friday that Turkey and China should have a more to say in the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank as their economies had developed and they had more influence on world economy.
"If we take joint action in these organizations, we can be more influential. Chinese-Turkish strategic cooperation should cover all these areas," Lu said.
Lu said Turkey`s influence on regional issues had increased, and China wanted to cooperate with Turkey in those areas.
The Chinese executive expressed belief that Turkey and China would sign agreements during Premier Erdogan`s visit.
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