Türkiye, China vice presidents hold talks in Istanbul on cooperation

Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz met with his Chinese counterpart Han Zheng in Istanbul for wide-ranging talks on bilateral cooperation, discussing avenues to deepen economic ties and exchange views on regional developments affecting both nations.

Comprehensive bilateral agenda

Yilmaz described the meeting as productive in a post on NSosyal, the Turkish social media platform. "In line with our goal of further advancing cooperation between our countries, we discussed areas of joint work, particularly the economy and trade, connectivity, tourism, the defense industry, science and technology, as well as regional and global developments," he said. The discussions covered mechanisms to enhance trade volumes and improve transportation links between the two countries.

Balanced trade and mutual benefit

The Turkish vice president emphasized Ankara's commitment to building more sustainable economic relations with Beijing. "We attach importance to making our economic relations with the People's Republic of China more balanced and sustainable on the basis of mutual benefit and to operating our existing cooperation mechanisms more effectively," Yilmaz said. Both officials reaffirmed their dedication to activating existing frameworks to achieve these objectives.

The Istanbul talks reflect Ankara's ongoing efforts to strengthen diplomatic and commercial bonds with Beijing, which ranks among Türkiye's largest trading partners outside the European Union. High-level exchanges between the two nations have intensified across defense procurement, energy infrastructure, and transportation corridors in recent months.