Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Xi Jinping met on Sunday, August 31, before the dinner hosted by the President of China in honour of the leaders attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit.
The summit is convening amid increasing geopolitical tensions, including Israel's war in the Gaza Strip, the conflict in Ukraine, and international customs disputes. Xi, who holds the rotating presidency, will preside over the summit.
The Presidency's Directorate of Communications of the Republic of Türkiye announced that the two leaders discussed a range of issues and made assessments on economic cooperation. The two leaders discussed, among other issues, the latest situation in Gaza, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, possible joint steps for the development of Syria, as well as regional and global matters.
The statement read as follows: "President Erdoğan emphasised that bilateral trade should be supported by investments to ensure balance and sustainability and noted that the two countries have great potential, especially in the fields of digital technologies, energy, healthcare services, and tourism. He also added that the investment of Chinese companies in Türkiye in these fields would be beneficial for further cooperation.
The Turkish President also emphasised the importance of taking joint steps for aligning the Middle Corridor with the 'Belt and Road' Initiative.
The two leaders agreed on the continuation of existing consultation and cooperation mechanisms, and President Erdoğan reiterated his support for the 'One China' policy'."