FM pledges cooperation with China for Gaza ceasefire

BEIJING

Ankara will continue to collaborate with Beijing to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said during his three-day trip to China on June 4.

Fidan's remarks came during a joint press conference with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, in Beijing. The Turkish top diplomat highlighted the alignment of views between Türkiye and China on numerous international issues.

"We appreciate China's solidarity with the Palestinians and its strong support for the two-state solution," he stated. "We will continue to work with China for a ceasefire in Gaza, the uninterrupted and safe delivery of humanitarian aid to Gazans and a two-state solution."

Fidan praised Chinese President Xi Jinping’s call for a comprehensive international peace conference to address the Palestine situation.

He also reiterated Türkiye's support for China’s territorial integrity and political sovereignty. "We support the efforts to prevent internal turmoil on this issue," he said.

Fidan emphasized that the aim of Türkiye and China is to take steps to enhance the welfare of their people through mutual respect and win-win cooperation.

For his part, Wang echoed the urgency for a ceasefire in Gaza and the need for peace and stability in the Middle East.

"We support Middle Eastern countries in solving their own problems through solidarity," he said.

"A ceasefire should be established in Gaza as soon as possible, and the humanitarian situation should be improved."

The Chinese minister reaffirmed Beijing's support for a two-state solution, adding, "Strengthening coordination between China and Türkiye will accelerate a permanent, comprehensive and fair solution to the Palestine issue."

Fidan's trip to China, his first as a foreign minister, also included a meeting with Vice President Han Zheng and visits to Urumqi and Kashgar in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

This marked the highest-level Turkish visit to the Uyghur region since President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's in 2012. It was seen as a signal of Türkiye's attention to human rights concerns regarding Muslims there.

The relations between Türkiye and China, defined as a "strategic partnership" in 2010, have grown in recent years. China is Türkiye's largest commercial partner in Asia and its third largest globally, with bilateral trade volume surpassing $48 billion last year.