Türkiye, China to hold green development forum in Istanbul as economic ties grow

Türkiye and China will hold a green development business forum in Istanbul on Nov. 9 during a visit by Chinese Vice President Han Zheng, as the two countries mark 55 years of diplomatic relations.

Han will be accompanied by a delegation of prominent Chinese business leaders from the tourism, infrastructure, energy, technology and finance sectors.

The Türkiye-China Green Development Business Forum will be organized by the Türkiye-China Business Council of the Foreign Economic Relations Board and the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade.

Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz and Trade Minister Omer Bolat are expected to attend the event, which aims to expand investment opportunities and strengthen cooperation on green transformation.

Public and private sector representatives will participate in panels covering environmental technologies, recycling, smart manufacturing, electric vehicles, petrochemicals, logistics, finance and tourism.

The forum will coincide with the 31st UN Climate Change Conference (COP31), scheduled for Nov. 9-20 in the southern Turkish province of Antalya.

Bilateral trade surpasses $52 billion

Economic ties between Türkiye and China have expanded in recent years, with bilateral trade rising from $35.9 billion in 2021 to $44.6 billion in 2022 and $48.4 billion in 2023.

Turkish exports to China reached $3.6 billion in 2021, before declining to $3.28 billion in 2022 and recovering slightly to $3.3 billion in 2023 and $3.38 billion in 2024.

The figure slipped to $3.27 billion in 2025.

However, exports reached $3.394 billion in the first nine months of 2026, exceeding the full-year totals recorded in each of the previous four years.

Total bilateral trade stood at $44.7 billion during the January-September period.

Ankara is seeking to narrow its persistent trade deficit with Beijing by expanding exports and strengthening economic cooperation.

Türkiye's main exports to China include metal ores, slag and ash, while imports from China are dominated by electrical machinery, sound recording equipment, televisions and related technology products.

Chinese tourist arrivals hit record high

Tourism ties have also strengthened, with Chinese visitor numbers reaching a record 435,309 in the first nine months of 2026, following Türkiye's introduction of visa-free travel for Chinese citizens in January.

Arrivals had increased from 77,142 in 2010 to 426,344 in 2019 before plunging to 33,641 in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The number recovered to 89,515 in 2022, followed by 248,119 in 2023 and 409,733 in 2024.

Chinese arrivals reached 425,348 in 2025, a figure already surpassed in the first nine months of this year.