The Chinese government would like to enrich its strategic cooperation with the new Turkish government and raise bilateral ties to a new high, a senior Chinese Communist Party (CPC) official said here Sunday.
He Guoqiang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the CPC, made the remarks when meeting two Turkish provincial governors.
He is making a stopover in Turkey after visiting Poland during his five-nation trip, which will also take him to Serbia, the United Arab Emirates and Iran. He has visited France.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Turkey, he said, adding that it also witnessed the formation of the China-Turkey strategic cooperative relationship.
He also said China’s Southern coastal city Haikou and Turkey’s Southwestern city Antalya are sister cities while China’s Guangdong province and Turkey’s Istanbul Province are sister provinces.
Such local-level exchanges and cooperation would play a key role in promoting the friendship between the two peoples, said the senior CPC official.
Antalya Province Governor Ahmet Altiparmak said bilateral cooperation has scored remarkable progress in such fields as trade and infrastructure.
Istanbul Governor Muammer Guler said more Chinese tourists are welcome to visit the country. Istanbul will host the Year of Chinese Culture in 2012, which is expected to enhance bilateral understanding and friendship.
Xinhua