ANKARA — Turkish President Erdogan told visiting Vice-Premier Liu Yandong on April 18 that he earnestly expects to attend the Belt and Road forum this May and hopes for deepening all-round cooperation with China.

Visiting Vice-Premier Liu Yandong met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Binali Yildirim in Ankara on April 18.

Erdogan said he had met with President Xi Jinping for many times in recent years, which firmly enhanced the smooth development of Turkey-China friendly and cooperative relations.

He attached great importance to the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, and highly expected to meet with President Xi Jinping next month in China.

Turkey and China should accelerate strategic alignment and strengthen cooperation in various fields, which will benefit both the region and world, he said.

He expressed the hope that the two countries could bring their respective potential into full play through joint efforts to step up economic and trade cooperation. He welcomed more Chinese enterprises to invest and prosper business there.

The two countries also need to deepen cooperation in anti-terrorism, the president stressed.

Vice-Premier Liu Yandong welcomed President Erdogan’s attendance to the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing.

She expressed the hope that the two countries could strength cooperation in various fields, accelerate strategic alignment, and promote the Belt and Road initiative construction, in order to make new contributions to regional cooperation.

She added that China is willing to expand people-to-people exchanges in education, culture, sports and tourism fields, which will build up mutual understanding and friendship between both peoples and consolidate public support for China-Turkey Strategic Cooperative Relations.

In his meeting with Liu, Turkish Prime Minister Yildirim said that he attaches great importance to Turkey-China relations.

He hoped the Erdogan’s attendance to Belt and Road Forum would play a positive role in boosting bilateral economic, trade, culture, education and tourism cooperation, and lift Turkey-China relations to a higher level.

During her visit, Liu also held meeting with Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Tugrul Turkes on humanity exchange, and attended the launch ceremony of Turkish language edition of the book “Xi Jinping: The Governance of China” with Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek.

Liu arrived in Ankara on April 17 at the invitation of her Turkish counterpart Tugrul Turkes.