Turkish, Chinese business people gather in Istanbul

By Gokhan Ergocun

ISTANBUL (AA) - Turkish and Chinese business people, diplomats, and business bodies gathered in Istanbul to discuss commercial opportunities and cooperation possibilities, especially in the digitalization field.

The Türkiye-China Business Conference was organized jointly by the Turkish Industry and Business Association (TUSIAD) and Türkiye's Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK) in Istanbul on Tuesday.

The conference aims to contribute to the strengthening and sustainability of the long-standing relations between Türkiye and China.

At the conference, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), DEIK and TUSIAD, emphasizing the support and increased cooperation for the First China International Supply Chain Expo (CISCE) to be held in Beijing in November.

Cagatay Ozdogru, a board member of TUSIAD, said Türkiye-China cooperation will further strengthen thanks to the conference.

Cooperation with China, which leads digitalization studies globally, will be beneficial for Türkiye, he underlined.

Nail Olpak, the head of DEIK, said China is one of the biggest economies of the world and it is important to build relations with it.

There is a trade deficit issue between the two countries against Türkiye, and business people should make efforts to ensure a bilateral trade balance, he said.

He also added that the trade deficit is not the only issue between the countries and parties should also focus on other fields to generate added value.

Zhang Shaogang, the deputy chair of CCPIT, said China's advantages in production capacity and finance and Türkiye's advantages in geography, food and agriculture can be integrated.

China is trying to improve its production facilities, focusing on new generation information technologies, artificial intelligence, renewable energy, and green energy, he stressed.

The two countries are able to cooperate in the fields of 5G, AI, cyber security, e-commerce and smart cities to increase competitiveness, he said.