2013 set to be year of Turkey in China

At a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Cai Wu in Beijing as part an official visit to China, Culture and Tourism Minister Ertugrul Gunay yesterday signed an agreement with his Chinese counterpart to proclaim 2012 the "Year of China" in Turkey and 2013 the "Year of Turkey" in China." The two officials sealed the agreement in order to boost cultural relations, which Gunay described as "having deep historical roots." Cai said that Turkey could attract more Chinese tourists by scheduling more direct flights as well as through effective promotional campaigns. Gunay is next set to proceed to Xi'an and then to Shanghai to visit Expo 2010.