Conference to boost China-Turkey business

ISTANBUL -- More than 200 Turkish and Chinese business people held a conference at Istanbul on Tuesday in a bid to boost trade and investment between the two countries.

Business people from both countries said that they are trying to reach the target of $100 billion of bilateral trade by 2020 in the conference titled "Understanding and Doing Business with China".

Delivering an opening speech, Chinese Ambassador to Turkey Gong Xiaosheng said that China and Turkey had greatly improved bilateral relations in recent years and at this moment the two countries had achieved the best cooperation ever.

"As to economic relations, we are trying to increase direct investment from China to Turkey which will gap the trade deficit between the two countries," he said.

Moreover, he continued, "we would work hard to introduce Turkey to Chinese tourists. In the recent three years, the number of Chinese tourists to Turkey has already increased three times and reach 100,000. We hope this tourism boom would continue," Gong said.

Umit Boyner, President of Turkish Industry and Business Association, said the biggest barrier between China-Turkey trade was the visa issue. She hoped that the two countries would enforce long-term multiple business visa for people who involved in bilateral trade from the two countries.

Husnu Ozyegin, Chairman of Turkey-China Business Council, said as the economy of Europe slows down, Turkey should exert more efforts to enhance economic ties with China whose economy was booming.

"China is extremely important for Turkey," he added.

Zhang Jianping, director of Department of International Economic Cooperation under China's National Development and Reform Commission, said that China had already started procedures to ensure its continuing economic growth even when the global economy is gloomy.

He was confident that with a huge internal consumption market, investment incentives and suitable economic policies, China's economy would keep growing steadily.

Zhang also said China is attaching more importance to import and suggested that Turkey should seize this chance to improve its sales in China's market.

"China and Turkey should also consider Free Trade Agreement which would allow Turkey to get benefit from China's economic growth and huge domestic market," Zhang suggested.

With the current $25 billion trade volume, Turkey and China are eyeing $100 billion in bilateral trade by the year of 2020. "To me, this goal is reachable. I am optimistic about it," Xu Xiaonian, professor of Economics and Finance from China's Europe International Business School, told Xinhua.

This conference is co-organized by Turkish Industry and Business Association and Foreign Economic Relations Board.