Chinese President Hails Sino-Turkish Friendship กก

Chinese President Hails Sino-Turkish Friendship กก

Chinese President Jiang Zemin said Wednesday that China treasures its friendly cooperation with Turkey and is willing to make joint effort to push forward the bilateral relations.

To consolidate the cooperation in the fields of economy, trade and investment will help deepen and advance the bilateral ties, Jiang said during his talks with his Turkish counterpart Suleyman Demirel Wednesday morning.

Jiang said that although tremendous progress has been achieved in bilateral trade in the 1990s, there is still great potential for the economic cooperation. The Chinese government's strategy for developing its western regions on a massive scale has offered important opportunities for the cooperation, he added.

Demirel's visit to China in 1995 made important contributions to the advancement of the friendly bilateral ties, Jiang added.

China and Turkey established diplomatic relations in 1971.

The past five years witnessed frequent high-level exchanges between the two countries, which have deepened mutual understanding, enhanced friendship, and cemented bilateral cooperation, Jiang noted.

He said the two countries should intensify cooperation in fighting international terrorism in all its forms, ethnic splittism and ultra-religionism.

Demirel called the Chinese president's visit both important and timely. He expressed thanks for the support China has offered to Turkey when the country was rocked by devastating earthquakes last year.

He stressed that there is not any problem between the two countries. On the contrary, he said there is great potential for the development of bilateral relations.

China is a great country, and pursuing friendly relations with China is in the interest of Turkey, Demirel said.

He noted that Turkey will firmly stick to the "One China" policy, support China's reunification cause and continue recognizing the government of the People's Republic of China as the sole, legitimate government of China.

Turkey respects China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and opposes to all forms of splittism, he said, adding that Turkey would like to cooperate with China in fighting international terrorism.

Jiang expresses his appreciation of Turkey's adherence to the "One China" policy.

The Chinese president reiterated that no matter who is in power in Taiwan, the fact that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China will never be changed.

Any attempt to create "two Chinas," or "one China, one Taiwan" will be doomed to fail, he said, adding that the Taiwan question must be resolved in accordance with the "One China" principle.

Jiang said Turkey is a nation with a glorious tradition of struggle for national independence. He recalled that in the early 20th century, the Turkish people, under the leadership of their national hero General Mustafa Kemal, wrote a brilliant chapter in the annals of safeguarding national independence.

China is pleased to see that the Turkish people have made great progress in the construction of the country since the Republic of Turkey was founded, Jiang said, adding that Turkey plays an

important role in the regional and international affairs.

The Chinese president arrived in Turkey Tuesday for a state visit at the invitation of Demirel.

Turkey is the third leg of Jiang's five-nation visit, which will take him to Greece and South Africa. He had visited Israel and Palestine, and met President Hosni Mubarak in Egypt's Mediterranean port city Alexandria.