BEIJING - Justice and Development Party (AK Party) leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that Turkey does not have any political problem with China.
Erdogan and Chinese Prime Minister Zhu Rongji held a joint press conference after their meeting.
Erdogan thanked Zhu Rongji in the name of Turkish delegation and said that this visit was very meaningful for him and added that Istanbul and Shanghai were sister cities while he was Istanbul Mayor and Zhu Rongji was the Mayor of Shanghai in 1998 and he could not visit Shanghai earlier.
Erdogan said that now he is in China as a leader of a party which gained 66 percent representation authority in Parliament and with ministers, deputies, businessmen and press.
Noting that they are visiting China in a period when they are determined to further develop the relations between Turkey and China which has a continuously increasing economic trend, Erdogan said that although bilateral trade volume is around one billion 400 million U.S. dollars, they have hopes for future.
Erdogan said that this trade volume seems to be unfavorable for Turkey but China has initiatives for making investments in Turkey and for increasing commercial trade with Turkey. He added that they are pleased with the relations for starting joint investments.
Noting that Turkey does not have any political problems with China, Erdogan said that Turkey has an existing policy and they are supporting single China idea. He added that Turkey does not have any hesitations on China's territorial integrity, instead it has respect.
Erdogan said that they had earlier stated many times that they were against all types of terrorism and added that terrorism does not have religion, country and race and a joint platform should be formed to fight against terrorism.
Recalling that they convened as Turkish-China Business Council and businessmen and non-governmental organizations had meetings, Erdogan said that those meetings will continue during the visit.
Erdogan said that ministers will take steps concerning their fields and added that they attribute great importance to those steps and Turkey is exerting efforts to fulfill such a step.
Zhu Rongji said that Turkey and China do not have any political problems with each other, adding that there is no unsolved problem and the relations of two countries are very well.
Zhu Rongji said that Erdogan's visit will contribute to further develop the relations between two countries.
When asked whether or not the issue of Iraq was brought onto agenda of the meeting, Prime Minister Zhu Rongji said that the issue was taken up at the meeting adding, ''we have the same views about the issue of Iraq. We are in favor of solving the issue under resolutions of the United Nations. We want the sides to refrain from a possible war.''
''Iraqi side has presented inventory of its weapons. We want the international community to be respectful to works of the United Nations Nuclear Inspection Council and the International Atomic Energy Agency. Also, we want the Iraqi side to cooperate with the United Nations without any conditions. As a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, the People's Republic of China will continue to expending efforts to find a peaceful solution to the issue of Iraq together with the international community including Turkey,'' he said.
When asked, ''Turkey is a neighboring country. How can Turkey play a role in efforts to find a solution to the issue of Iraq?'' Erdogan said, ''Turkey has been expending efforts to find a peaceful solution to the issue of Iraq.'' Pointing out that he and Prime Minister Abdullah Gul exerted all efforts for the solution of the problem through peaceful means, Erdogan said Prime Minister Gul visited five countries in the region, and recalled that State Minister Kursad Tuzmen conveyed a letter to Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
Erdogan stressed that all necessary steps were taken to solve the problem through peaceful means, adding that, ''the joint view of the two countries is the report and U.N. Security Council resolution which the U.N. inspectors would give.'' When asked what kind of short term and long term concrete projects between Turkey and China, Erdogan said, construction of Kars-Tbilisi railway project was one of this, and that they wanted to take steps regarding iron and steel.
Chinese Prime Minister Zhu Rongji said they focused on cooperation issues between the two countries, stating that the Chinese side could make cooperation with the Turkish businessmen on every field including 2008 Beijing Olympiads.
Stating that Chinese side attributed great importance to the visit of Erdogan, and that they wanted the visit to yield in positive outcomes, Zhu Rongji thanked to Erdogan for the visit.
Zhu Rongji said there was not any political problem between the two countries, pointing out that he thanked to Turkey as it did not expend support to the efforts of East Turkistan.
Erdogan said they wanted more number of Chinese tourists to visit Turkey.
CHINESE PRIME MINISTER ZHU RONGJI HOSTS A DINNER IN HONOR OF ERDOGAN
Prime Minister Zhu Rongji of the People's Republic of China hosted a dinner on Tuesday in honor of Justice and Development Party (AK Party) leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The dinner at the National People's Congress Hall was closed to the press.
Erdogan will visit the Great Wall of China and the Forbidden City on Wednesday.
Later, he will meet with Vice President and Chinese Communist Party Secretary General Hu Jintao.
Erdogan and accompanying delegation will proceed to Shanghai after wrapping up their contacts in Beijing.