H.E. Fu Hua, President of
Xinhua News Agency,

H.E. Zhao Yide, Secretary of
the Communist Party of China (CPC) Shaanxi Provincial Committee,

H.E. Phinij Jarusombat, Former
Vice Prime Minister of Thailand,

Distinguished Ambassadors
and Members of the Diplomatic Corps,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

• It is my
  honor to participate in the Silk Road
  International Communication Forum.
• I am glad to
  visit Xi’an for the first time on
  this occasion.
• Xi’an, as the
  eastern end of the Silk Road and the former capital of China, was once the meeting and melting point of various people,
  including the ancient Chinese and Turks.
• Our
  ancestors were aware of the importance of safe and stable transport routes in people-to-people exchange and economic
  activities.
• The ancient
  Silk Road surely enabled this interaction between Asia and Europe.
• For
  instance, starting from the time of Ming Dynasty, Ottoman and Chinese Emperors have exchanged various precious gifts
  through the Silk Road.
• It is known
  from historic archives that Ottoman
  Empire have dispatched several envoys to China in this regard carrying with
  them gifts including lions as well as
  weaponry such as Ottoman rifles.
• The Emperors of China have also sent invaluable
  porcelain as gifts to the Sultans of Ottoman
  Empire.
• Therefore, Topkapı Palace in Istanbul has the second largest porcelain collection in
  the world.
• Türkiye has
  always been an integral part of
  Asia’s historic, linguistic and cultural sphere throughout history, and today,
  it continues to function as the gateway
  between Asia and Europe.
• In 2019,
  Türkiye announced the “Asia Anew
  Initiative” to enhance relations among Asian countries on the basis of
  common interests and objectives.
• China is naturally located at the core of this Initiative.
• Under this
  initiative, Türkiye aims to broaden perspectives of mutually beneficial cooperation with its Asian counterparts in
  economic, political, socio-cultural and economic dimensions.
• Situated at
  a unique location at the crossroads of
  Europe, Asia and Africa, Türkiye prioritizes increased connectivity and
  economic cooperation to ensure peace,
  stability and sustainable development.
• The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI),
  proposed by His Excellency Xi Jinping a decade ago; embraces the historic trend of economic globalization and addresses
  countries’ development needs for modernization.
• The
  effectiveness of this initiative until today as well as future prospects for
  further cooperation was clearly emphasized during the 3^rd Belt and Road Forum that was successfully convened
  in Beijing last week.
• Türkiye has supported this important Initiative from the very beginning.
• Both Türkiye
  and China very much understand
  the importance of the multidimensional connectivity in today’s world.
• In this
  respect, Türkiye has keen interest in the modern
  revival of the Ancient Silk Road.
• This is why we put forth the Middle Corridor initiative, which starts
  from Türkiye in the west, and after crossing the Caucasus, the Caspian Sea
  and the Central Asian Republics, reaches China.
• This
  initiative is in natural harmony with the BRI.
• In 2015, we
  have signed a Memorandum of
  Understanding (MoU) with China, to
  align the two initiatives in order to avoid duplications, raise
  efficiencies and increase our cooperation.
• Together
  with the BRI, the Middle Corridor provides
  uninterrupted and increased access to the Black Sea and Mediterranean
  basins, as well as to Europe and Africa.
• As part of this shared vision, we launched the
  first east-bound export train from Türkiye to China in December 2020 which arrived in this beautiful city Xi’an.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

• I would like
  to point out that the Turkish-Chinese
  relations have gained significant
  momentum across various domains in the recent years.
• China is Türkiye’s largest trading partner in Asia
  and third largest in the world with a trade volume reaching 45 billion USD.
• Our strong
  relationship with China is not limited to trade.
• Media is another
  field that we need to enhance cooperation.
• We often
  observe that certain third party’s media
  organs may distort the wordings and images when broadcasting news about a
  country.
• To better understand
  and obtain unhindered information about each other, it is important to use our own media channels.
• This will dispel misconceptions, counteract
  propaganda and prevent the spread of
  false information.
• We are
  pleased to have established such a partnership with China. For instance,
  Türkiye’s mainstream news channel NTV
  and China Media Group have already worked together on several occasions.
• Moreover, CRI, which is part of China Media Group has
  a radio channel in Türkiye for 10
  years.
• Our national broadcaster TRT and national news agency Anadolu Agency have
  representatives in Beijing, who collect and convey unhindered information about
  the developments in China to the Turkish public.
• It would be
  mutually beneficial if a closer cooperation between these Turkish media
  corporations and their Chinese counterparts, such as Xinhua news agency and CCTV, is established.
• On 10
  October, I attended China Media Group’s "A Symphony of Mountains and
  Seas" Ceremony.
• Together
  with other participants, we have launched a new phase of cooperation among the BRI countries in the media domain. We wish to build more
  on that.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

• In today’s
  world, people-to-people interaction
  is as important as diplomacy when it comes to relations between countries.
• Tourism, in this sense, is the most direct means of such an interaction.
• I personally attach particular importance and give priority to developing
  Turkish-Chinese relations in the field of tourism as well.
• I believe that Türkiye, as the 4th most popular tourist destination in
  the world, features vast attractions for
  Chinese tourists.
• In this
  vein, I hope that the resumption of
  Turkish Airlines’ Xi’an-İstanbul direct flights will provide an excellent
  opportunity for the people of Xi’an city, Shaanxi and neighbouring provinces to discover and explore what Türkiye offers.
• And
  vice-versa, I hope more Turkish tourists
  will visit the historic city of Xi’an treasuring house of relics and ancient
  sites, as the cradle of Chinese civilization.
• I have no
  doubt that in the future, strong
  historical ties between the Silk Road Countries will further broaden in all
  these areas and the journey of joint
  development will enable greater prosperity to us all!

Thank you!