Turkish, Chinese ministers discuss high-tech collaborations

Turkish Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır has discussed with his Chinese counterparts the possibilities of cooperation in innovative technologies across various fields during his visit to China.

Kacır told Anadolu Agency that electric vehicles and battery investments were the centre of attention in his meetings in Beijing with Chinese Minister of Science and Technology Yin Hejun and Minister of Industry and Information Technology Jin Zhuanglong.

He said he shared the level of industrial and technological capacity that Türkiye reached with breakthroughs in development and innovation, and his Chinese counterparts are closely following the country’s progress.

Kacır pointed out that China is one of the countries that heavily invested in high technology, becoming one of the world’s leaders in advanced technologies. "We evaluated the ways to cooperate with Chinese companies to invest in our country in the coming period," he said.

Saying that battery technologies constitute “an integral part” of electric vehicle production and he wants to “make Türkiye into a production base for electric vehicles and batteries,” Kacır recalled the Turkish electric automobile line made by automotive manufacturer, Togg, as an important step toward that goal.

Renewable energy

The Turkish minister also pointed out that renewable energy technologies stand out as a potential area of cooperation, and said Türkiye ranks first in Europe, fourth in the world in solar energy, and scores in the top five in Europe in wind energy.

Noting that China is the leader in solar panel production, Kacir added, "We believe that we can further advance our capabilities in renewable energy technologies through joint projects."

Noting that Türkiye’s first nuclear power plant is being built in Akkuyu, located in Mersin, the southern port city, in cooperation with Russia, and it will soon be commissioned, he said there could be potential areas of collaboration between the two countries regarding nuclear power plants.

"Türkiye produces its electric locomotive traveling at a speed of 160 kilometres per hour (99 miles per hour), and we will put in an important effort in the development and production of high-speed trains," he said, noting that the two countries can work together in rail system technologies.

Kacır added that Türkiye can cooperate with China also in the health industry for vaccines, medicine and medical devices.

Investment opportunities

Kacır further pointed out that Türkiye offers opportunities to Chinese brands in terms of industrial investments.

"As a member of the Customs Union, Türkiye opens the door to the European Union for Chinese brands," he said, adding that they also discussed opportunities that Türkiye can offer to Chinese companies for investment.

“We discussed joint calls for science, R&D projects, and how the cooperation can be carried further," he said.

Minister Kacır will continue his China tour and visit the electric vehicle battery production facility of Farasis Energy, Togg's project partner, in Jiangxi province.

He will also visit the campus where the Chinese technology company Huawei is exhibiting new technologies developed in communication, cloud computing and automotive fields.