In China, Gu pushes for better trade balance

Welcomed by his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao with full military honors in Beijing, President Abdullah Gul yesterday began his official talks in China. Following the welcoming ceremony, Gul and Jintao co-chaired a meeting between Turkish and Chinese delegations. Speaking to reporters before the meeting, Gul said that he was pleased to visit China, adding that his visit would give new momentum to relations between Turkey and China. For his part, Jintao stressed the importance placed by China on developing relations with Turkey. Following the meeting, seven cooperation agreements were signed in the areas of energy, banking, finance and culture, including a video-sharing pact between Turkey's Anatolia News Agency and China's Xinhua News Agency. Speaking at a joint press conference afterwards, Gul stressed the deep historical roots of the two countries' friendship, and said they want to take further steps in bilateral relations. He said that they had discussed ways to overcome the large trade deficit between the two countries, pointing to how Turkey's exports to China total some $1.43 billion, compared to Chinese exports to Turkey of $15.5 billion. Attracting Chinese investments to Turkey may be one way to close the gap, he said, adding that current Chinese investments in Turkey total only $60 million. For his part, Jintao said Turkey is an old friend of China and that he appreciates Gul's efforts to promote better bilateral relations. Saying he wants to improve ties with Turkey, he thanked Turkey for its help in the wake of last year's Sichuan earthquake. Gul yesterday also visited some historical sites and popular tourist attractions in Beijing. After attending the grand opening of a Turkish appliance store at a shopping mall, Gul visited Beijing's Olympic Stadium where last year's Olympics were held. Touring the stadium, Gul posed for the cameras together with his wife Hayrunnisa, State Minister for Foreign Trade Zafer Caglayan, Interior Minister Besir Atalay and Turkish Ambassador to Beijing Murat Esenli. Later, Gul and his entourage visited the 12th century Old Summer Palace. During the visit, they saw the palace's unique architecture and traditional Chinese garden art. Gul also met with a group of Chinese businessmen to discuss economic cooperation between the two countries, and attended a dinner hosted by Hu in his honor.