The friendship between China and Türkiye has a long history. More than 2000 years ago, the Chinese and Turkish people knew each other through the Silk Road. In recent years, the two countries have also continued to deepen mutually beneficial and win-win cooperation under the "the Belt and Road" initiative and the "Middle Corridor" cooperation framework. As an important hub connecting the East and the West, Türkiye has great potential for cooperation with China in trade, investment and green economy, which has laid a solid foundation for the future development of bilateral relations. On the evening of October 29, the reception for the 101st anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Türkiye was successfully held in Guangdong. Kaan Ba? Kurt, Consul General of Türkiye in Guangzhou, Xiao Yafei, Deputy Director of the Standing Committee of the Guangdong Provincial People's Congress, Chen Xiongqiao, Vice Chairman of the CPPCC Guangzhou Municipal Committee, Ren Xiaotie, Chairman of the Environmental and Resource Protection Committee of the Guangdong Provincial People's Congress, multinational delegations in Guangzhou and friendly people from all walks of life at home and abroad attended the reception. At the reception, Serdar Sar?, an attendant of the Consulate General of the Republic of Türkiye in Guangzhou, first read President Erdogan's speech on the Republic of Türkiye Day this year. Later, Consul General Bashkut said in his speech that he was glad to be here with you on this crisp autumn night to celebrate the 101st anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Türkiye. China is Türkiye's third largest trading partner in the world and Asia's largest trading partner. At present, more and more Turkish products are entering the Chinese market, and many Chinese enterprises are also investing in Türkiye. The bilateral economic and trade cooperation is deepening. He pointed out that many enterprises investing in Türkiye are from Guangdong, which shows the steady development of Türkiye's relations with Guangdong and other southern provinces. He also mentioned that as the oldest and largest exhibition in China, the largest foreign participation delegation in recent years came from Türkiye. At the 136th Canton Fair, as many as 150 Türkiye enterprises participated. In his speech, Xiao Yafei, Deputy Director of the Standing Committee of the Guangdong Provincial People's Congress, said that both China and Türkiye are ancient civilizations. The Millennium Silk Road has closely linked the two peoples and written a profound historical chapter. At present, China's "the Belt and Road" initiative and Turkey's "Middle Corridor" initiative complement each other, showing great potential for cooperation. He also mentioned that Istanbul, Türkiye, has become a friendly province and city with Guangdong Province and Guangzhou, China. The friendship between the two sides has been deepening, high-level visits and economic and trade exchanges have become increasingly frequent, and people to people and cultural exchanges have become increasingly active. He stressed that Guangdong will earnestly implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, strengthen people to people and cultural exchanges and mutual understanding, promote friendly exchanges and practical cooperation with Türkiye in various fields, strengthen the docking between the "the Belt and Road" and the "Middle Corridor" initiative, share the development opportunities of the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area with global partners including Türkiye, and achieve high-quality mutual benefit and win-win results. After the speech by Xiao Yafei, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Guangdong Provincial People's Congress, the guests chatted and celebrated, creating a warm and joyful atmosphere. Traditional Türkiye coffee and ice cream have attracted many guests to stop and taste because of their rich flavor and unique texture. At the event, Consul General Bashkute told reporters of the news agency that in 2015, China and Türkiye signed a memorandum of understanding on docking the "the Belt and Road" initiative and the "Middle Corridor" plan, which laid an important foundation for the follow-up cooperation between the two countries. Türkiye has a special geographical location, which makes it not only an important participant in the "the Belt and Road" initiative, but also actively and effectively promote the "Middle Corridor" initiative. He also mentioned that the economic cooperation between China and Türkiye is getting closer in the current complex international environment. As a developing economy, Türkiye has a vibrant market, relatively low production costs, and a superior geographical location, close to Europe, the Middle East and Africa. In particular, goods entering the EU market through Türkiye do not need to pay tariffs. China has a strong industrial base. In the environment of increasing global economic instability, Chinese enterprises have become the mutually beneficial choice to invest and produce in Türkiye. Because of this, more and more enterprises from China, especially from Guangdong, choose to carry out business in Türkiye to take full advantage of this strategic opportunity. The Consul General of Türkiye in Guangzhou, Kaan Bashkut (left), and the reporter from the news agency, Bashkut (right), also proposed that the Memorandum of Understanding on Energy Transformation Cooperation recently signed between China and Türkiye is also a good start. The cooperation potential between the two sides in the field of green economy is huge, especially in electric vehicles and renewable energy. In addition, the cooperation between the two sides in the field of solar energy and wind energy has also been gradually carried out. He said that many Chinese enterprises have invested in this field in Türkiye. Finally, Consul General Bashkuote believed that with the continuous increase in the number of tourists and the enrichment of cultural activities between China and Turkey, the friendship between the two countries will be further deepened. "The two countries have deep historical origins. The ancient Silk Road has promoted friendly exchanges between the two peoples, and both sides have many similarities in respect of traditions, respect for elders, and so on. Our historical friendship and common values will also promote the building of a better and more stable bilateral relationship between the two countries in the future." (Le Xinshe)