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China-Middle East relations
ChinaDiplomacy

Turkey opens new consulate in southwest Chinese city of Chengdu

  • It is the Middle Eastern nation’s fourth diplomatic mission in mainland China
  • Turkey wants to boost ties despite tensions over Beijing’s treatment of Uygurs

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Wu Xi, head of the Chinese foreign ministry’s consular affairs department, speaks at the opening ceremony on Tuesday. Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Laura Zhou
Turkey has opened a consulate in the Chinese city of Chengdu, the first Middle Eastern nation to do so, as it seeks to strengthen ties with China despite tensions over Beijing’s treatment of the Uygur minority in Xinjiang.
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It is Turkey’s fourth diplomatic mission in mainland China – it has an embassy in Beijing and consulates in Shanghai and Guangzhou – and will be responsible for the provinces of Sichuan and Yunnan and the city of Chongqing in the southwest, as well as Guizhou province in the south.

The consulate is the 15th foreign mission to open in Chengdu, the Sichuan capital.

The new Turkish consulate was officially opened on Tuesday. Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The new Turkish consulate was officially opened on Tuesday. Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Speaking at the opening ceremony on Tuesday, Wu Xi, director general of the Chinese foreign ministry’s consular affairs department, said the Turkish consulate would “build new bridges for friendly relations and mutually beneficial cooperation” between China and Turkey, according to a ministry readout.

Wu added that the Belt and Road Initiative – Beijing’s vast infrastructure investment scheme – “would bring new opportunities for pragmatic cooperation” between the two countries.

Yang Xingping, a vice-governor of Sichuan, said the consulate would bring “more opportunities for local cooperation” between the province and Turkey.

China is a leading trading partner of Turkey, one of the strongest economies in the Middle East. Last year, China’s exports to Turkey reached US$34.03 billion, while imports from Turkey stood at just US$4.52 billion, according to official Chinese data.

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