ANKARA — Turkey and China should further develop economic, political and cultural relations, Turkish officials said on Sept 29.

At a reception marking the 67th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, Berat Albayrak, the Turkish minister of energy and natural resources, said that as the two main gates of Asia, China and Turkey need to keep developing the bilateral relations.

Albayrak, who attended the G20 Summit in eastern China’s Hangzhou earlier this month, spoke highly of the city and the arrangement of the summit.

“All the members of the Turkish delegation kept telling me the great hospitality you’ve shown us during the summit in one of the most beautiful cities in the world,” he said.

Mehmet Eker, the foreign affairs deputy chairman of the Turkish ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), defines the future of Turkey-China relations as “very bright.”

“The Belt and Road initiative and other developing plans show that Chinese leaderships’ vision is very bright. Turkey would like to be part of it. The cooperation and partnership of two countries are very essential to our continent and the world,” Eker told Xinhua.

Yu Hongyang, Chinese ambassador to Turkey, said the bilateral relations are improving, as the two countries maintain cooperation in regional and international issues.

“The two meetings of President Xi Jinping and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan since last year have pointed out directions of China-Turkey ties,” the Chinese ambassador said.

The trade volume between China and Turkey reached $27 billion in 2015. China is Turkey’s second largest trade partner, after Germany.

Yu Hongyang, Chinese ambassador to Turkey speaks during a reception marking the 67th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China in Ankara, Turkey on Sept 29, 2016. Turkey and China should further develop economic, political and cultural relations, Turkish officials said on Sept 29.[Photo/Xinhua]