China and Turkey said Wednesday the two countries look to stronger political trust and closer economic cooperation in future to benefit the people of both countries.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) meets with visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi in Ankara, Turkey, Jan. 27, 2010. [Zhang Meng/Xinhua]

Visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said China highly values its relationship with Turkey and will continue to handle the relationship from a strategic and long-term perspective during his meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara.

Erdogan said the Turkish government has the same political will to cement ties with China, noting that Turkey adheres to the one-China policy and acknowledges the government of the People's Republic of China is the only legal government that represents the whole China.

The two countries should fully tap the potential of cooperation in trade, investment and infrastructure construction and jointly tackle the impact of the global financial crisis, said the prime minister.

Yang expressed China's appreciation for Turkey's stance to uphold the one-China policy and respect for China's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

He also extended welcome for Turkey's participation in the World Expo to be held in Shanghai this year.

China and Turkey have seen frequent visits by high-level officials in recent years and witnessed their trade surge from more than 1 billion U.S. dollars in 2000 to 12.6 billion U.S. dollars in 2008.

Yang arrived in Turkey on Monday for a two-day visit and attended a regional summit on Afghanistan held in Istanbul as a special representative of Chinese President Hu Jintao.

Visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi (L) shakes hands with his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu after a press conference in Istanbul, Turkey, Jan. 27, 2010.[Chen Ming/Xinhua]

He held talks with his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu in Istanbul on Wednesday and agreed to advance friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries.

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