Beijing says it attaches great importance to its relations with Türkiye and hopes to further develop strategic cooperation
FILE PHOTO. Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at 2016 G20 Hangzhou summit © Getty Images / Lintao Zhang
Chinese president Xi Jinping has officially congratulated Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on securing his re-election on Monday, and underscored the “extensive common interests” between China and Türkiye.
In a message quoted by state news agency Xinhua, Xi said he “stands ready to work with Erdogan to promote mutual understanding and mutual support” and to boost “the two countries’ cooperative relationship.”
China’s foreign ministry spokeswoman, Mao Ning, also stated that Beijing attaches “great importance to its relations with Türkiye” and supports Ankara in “taking a development path that suits its national conditions.” She said that China hopes the country will continue to achieve new development milestones under the leadership of Erdogan.
Mao added that under the leaderships of Xi and Erdogan, China and Türkiye had “achieved fruitful cooperation in various fields, benefiting our two peoples.”
Other world leaders have also congratulated Erdogan on his win, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, who wrote in a message to the Turkish leader that “your victory in the elections was a natural result of your selfless work as head of the Republic of Türkiye, and is clear evidence of the Turkish people’s support for your efforts to strengthen state sovereignty and pursue an independent foreign policy.”
Putin also noted that Russia appreciates Erdogan’s “personal contribution to the strengthening of friendly Russian-Turkish relations and mutually beneficial cooperation.”
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Erdogan declared victory on Sunday night after beating challenger Kemal Kilicdaroglu in a runoff election for the presidency. Türkiye’s Supreme Election Council confirmed the results, declaring that Erdogan claimed 52.14% of the vote to Kilicdaroglu’s 47.86%.
Serving as president since 2014 and prime minister for 11 years beforehand, Erdogan is a social conservative who has steered Türkiye away from integration with the EU while strengthening his own powers and promoting moderate Islamist policies at home.
His foreign policy – described by Putin as “independent” and Erdogan himself as “balanced” – has seen Türkiye strengthen ties with Russia and China while also positioning itself as a potential peacemaker in regional conflicts, including in Ukraine.
Under Erdogan’s leadership, Türkiye is the only member of NATO that has not sanctioned Russia over its military operation in Ukraine, and has instead taken a neutral stance on the conflict. Last year, Türkiye hosted peace talks between Moscow and Kiev, and also helped broker the Black Sea Grain Initiative that facilitates the delivery of Ukrainian grain to world markets.
