Turkish top diplomat meets Chinese counterpart

ANKARA

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on July 26 held talks with China's newly appointed Foreign Minister Wang Yi about bilateral relations as well as global and regional developments.

Wang has been recently appointed as the Chinese top diplomat in place of Qin Gang. Wang, a veteran diplomat who served as China’s top diplomat between 2013 and 2022, is paying his first visit to Ankara after his reappointment.

Wang is also the member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee.

Fidan and Wang discussed bilateral relations in all aspects as well as current regional and global developments. Wang was also received by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the presidential compound.

Türkiye and China have been developing their bilateral ties, especially in the field of economy and trade. The two ministers also discussed regional developments, particularly the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.

China has joined an international chorus calling on Russia to extend the grain corridor to avoid a global food crisis. Türkiye is in contact with Russia to prolong the deal.

Later in the day, Fidan was scheduled to host Libya’s Foreign Minister Najla Elmangoush. Bilateral relations, current developments in Libya and regional issues were on their agenda. Erdoğan has recently said he was planning to visit Libya soon and another regional country to review Türkiye’s ties with the northern African country.