As chairman of the Justice and Development Party, which won the Turkish parliamentary election last November, Erdogan addressed the China-Turkey Business Seminar sponsored by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) on Tuesday afternoon.

Turkey admires the achievements made by China since it initiated the reform and opening-up policies, said Erdogan, adding that Turkey plans to set up special economic zones in accordance with the Chinese model.

Erdogan said he hopes that the Turkey-China memorandums on cooperation in the fields of agriculture and telecommunications signed last year would take effect as soon as possible.

He urged enterprises from the two sides to increase investment and cooperation in the fields of durable consumer goods, subway construction and telecommunications.

Vice-minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation An Min said during the seminar that China's entry into the World Trade Organization and its continued and rapid economic growth have given rise to new business opportunities for enterprises from both sides.

Chinese and Turkish companies should develop new trade commodities to optimize bilateral trade and enhance product promotion through participation in trade exhibitions, An said.

Chinese enterprises are encouraged to invest in Turkey and expand their cooperation from the current hydro-power and mining projects to the reconstruction of railways and small- and medium-sized hydro-power stations, said An.

CCPIT President Yu Xiaosong said that China welcomes more Turkish investment in China, adding that the CCPIT is willing to facilitate company-to-company cooperation.

China-Turkey trade surged 50.8 percent year-on-year, reaching 1.2 billion US dollars for the period of January-November 2002.

Erdogan arrived in Beijing on Tuesday morning for a four-day official visit which will include a trip to Shanghai.

(Xinhua News Agency January 15, 2003)