On 14th December,Ambassador LIU Shaobin's article on ChinaTurkey relations was published by China Daily global edition. Here it is:
China and Turkey have always understood and supported each other and they are cooperating hand in hand to cope with the severe public health
threat of the novel coronavirus.
Their antivirus cooperation fully reflects the resilience and strength of their relations, and the prospects for strategic cooperation between the two
countries is becoming even more promising.
Although the virus is heartless, the two countries sympathize with each other. Their state leaders, scientists, medical workers and other people
contributing to the antipandemic campaign took immediate actions and declared war on the virus with a great sense of responsibility.
They have practiced the spirit of respecting life and the humanoriented principle, as well as advocating science and cooperation, which has laid a
solid foundation for their allround and alldimensional antipandemic cooperation.
The two countries have offered mutual political support. President Xi Jinping held a phone call with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan
in early April, during which two sides reached broad consensus on antipandemic cooperation and bilateral relations.
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi also talked with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on the phone twice to discuss
fully implementing the important consensus reached by the two heads of state.
Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca spoke highly of China's achievements in the fight, and both sides supported the World Health Organization's
authority and leadership in promoting global antipandemic efforts.
The two countries have also extended mutual support to meet each other's demand for pandemic prevention materials. In the early stage of China's
battle against the novel coronavirus, Turkey donated two batches of masks, protective suits and other urgently needed medical materials to Wuhan,
capital of Hubei province.
These supplies offered strong support for China's pandemic prevention and control in the initial phase.
After infections were detected in Turkey in March, China assisted Turkey to connect with qualified Chinese pharmaceutical enterprises, to help it
procure highquality detection reagents, medicine and medical equipment in China.
Chinese enterprises and individuals in Turkey have also actively taken actions to assist local antipandemic work by organizing donations of cash,
masks and protective suits.
The two countries have also shared their pandemic control experiences, which has benefited the two peoples directly, and strengthened cooperation
on vaccine development.
The Chinese side shared its diagnosis and treatment protocol for patients with COVID19 and its pandemic prevention and control plan with Turkey.
In March, China invited the Turkish health ministry to attend a video seminar between China and West Asian and North African countries on COVID19
response.
China's Hunan and Hubei provinces organized experts to hold videoconferences with experts from Turkish Ministry of Health in April and June respectively.
They engaged in indepth exchanges on the diagnosis and treatment of infections and shared their respective virus control experiences, so that both sides
could learn from each other and improve.
A Phase III clinical trial of the experimental COVID19 vaccine developed by a Beijingbased company began in Turkey in September and is progressing well.
Meanwhile, peopletopeople interactions have strengthened the determination of the two countries to overcome the pandemic, with sister areas and cities
of the two countries interacting closely.
The governor of Turkey's Yalova province sent a letter to China's Henan province to express his firm support. Subsequently, Henan also donated a large
number of antipandemic materials to Yalova to meet its urgent needs.
On social media platforms, a large number of Chinese and Turkish internet users spontaneously shot videos to encourage each other.
During the pandemic, the economic and trade cooperation and direct investment of the two countries has made significant achievements despite the global
economic downturn.
The trade volume between China and Turkey from January to September was $17.02 billion, up 14.1 percent yearonyear.
In that period, the two countries signed new contracts of contracting projects worth $2.7 billion, an increase of 416.2 percent over the same period of last year.
Turkey's aquatic and dairy products entered the Chinese market.
Chinese enterprises and their Turkish partners overcame the difficulties of the pandemic to successfully complete a photovoltaic industrial park in Ankara
and put it into operation.
China has made great strategic achievements in its pandemic prevention and control, and it is a foregone conclusion that China's economy will witness
positive growth for the year.
The Turkish government is also making every effort to prevent the rebound of the pandemic while promoting the resumption of work and production in an
orderly manner. Statistics show that Turkey's economy has achieved growth of 6.7 percent in the third quarter.
In October, China's leadership unveiled a blueprint for the country's future, setting economic and social development goals for the next 5 years and longrange
objectives through the year 2035. Turkey is also making solid progress toward its 2023 Vision and the centennial of the Republic of Turkey.
In recent years, the strategic cooperation between China and Turkey has made great progress. The two sides are both emergingmarket economies, G20
members and natural partners in promoting of the Belt and Road Initiative.
China and Turkey will certainly be able to overcome the current difficulties and deal with the challenges brought about by the pandemic in a safe and orderly
manner. Next year, the two countries will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. China is willing to work with Turkey to
deepen practical cooperation and enhance sustained and indepth development of their strategic cooperative relations.