Spotlight: Turkey, China in joint efforts to revive ancient Silk Road

Turkey and China, two countries at the ends of the ancient Silk Road, are joined together once again through their respective efforts to revive and expand the economic belt.

To their delight, China's "Belt and Road" initiative and Turkey's "Middle Corridor" plans can be aligned in their execution.

"Our vision for the region is focused on building a Modern Silk Road, upgrading the existing transportation infrastructure and building new ones, and removing the impediments to intercontinental transport and trade," said Ambassador Ayse Sinirlioglu, Turkish Foreign Ministry's deputy undersecretary for economic affairs.

"We are pleased that the 'Belt and Road' initiative shares many of our aims: to contribute to regional development and connectivity, provide new employment opportunities, enhance energy security, facilitate cultural exchanges and people-to-people contacts," she told Xinhua in an interview by email.

China's initiative, which comprises the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, was first brought up by President Xi Jinping in 2013, with the aim of building a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient Silk Road routes.

In remarks delivered late April, Xi voiced hope for all countries along the routes to "actually feel the benefit brought by the initiative."

Turkey signed with China last November a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on the harmonization of the "Belt and Road" with the "Middle Corridor."

Turkey's initiative is seeking a modern revival of the ancient Silk Road, which started from China and ended in Turkey, by means of linking Turkey, the Caucasus and the Central Asian states via the Caspian Sea.

Sinirlioglu described Turkey's joining the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) as a founding member with a capital investment of 2.6 billion U.S. dollars as "another important step forward for our cooperation within Belt and Road initiative."

"We are committed to move forward to realize cooperation under the framework of this MOU," she said.

"It will be a cost-effective route linking Europe and Asia," she added, referring to Turkey's plan. "Trade between Asia and Europe continues to expand. We view the Middle Corridor as complementary to existing routes which will all need to be utilized in order to facilitate this growing commerce."

She noted that the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway link, which will be operational by the end of this year, connects Beijing to London through the Caspian and the Bosphorus.

Turkey and China have agreed on a high-speed rail linking Kars in Turkey's east with the country's western city of Edirne.

"The Edirne-Kars high-speed railway will be an important component of the Middle Corridor," noted Sinirlioglu.

"Realization of a Modern Silk Road, in other words connecting 'London to Beijing' using the Middle Corridor, will contribute not only to our bilateral trade volume but also to our cooperation in the region," she added.

"Collaboration in railroad projects is the best way to further Turkish-Chinese cooperation," observed Altay Atli, a research fellow with the Asian Studies Center of Bogazici University in Istanbul.

In his view, there is "a favorable environment" in Turkey "for future projects to hold," as the country's policy-makers have stated their "positive view" of China's initiative while the business community has "great enthusiasm" toward it.

Turkey's economy continues to grow and it is making efforts to escape the middle-income trap, so projects through the Road and Belt "will significantly contribute to Turkish economy in this respect," said Atli.

China's project "would be a great opportunity for Ankara and Beijing to upgrade their trade relation, which has always been the basic parameter of the two countries' relations, and strengthen their cultural and military ties," said Cumhur Simsek, chief representative of the Turkish Chinese Industrialists-Businessmen Association.

"There is no doubt this project may open the door for expanding global economy not only for China as well as for other countries," remarked Erdogan Topuz, a retired Boeing engineer and entrepreneur.

In the view of Kadir Temiz, a research assistant with Bogazici University, "a new project, which would bring an alternative economic dynamism and new partners for Turkey, is so critical in these days," as Turkey's traditional economic partners like the EU and Middle Eastern countries are in "big trouble."

Geographically a bridge linking Asia and Europe, Turkey can become an "economic, social and cultural hub" in the Belt and Road projects, observed Temiz.

Ambassador Sinirlioglu voiced readiness to work with China and others to improve border facilities and custom cooperation, simplify and shorten border crossing procedures, develop logistic hubs and hinterland connections, adopt computerized clearance systems and assure harmonization with EU standards, homework needed to be done for better execution of the "Belt and Road" initiative.

She called for the AIIB and the Silk Road Fund to play their parts in helping fund important infrastructure projects.

Referring to the fact that almost all the countries along the route are being beset by political instability or violent conflict, Atli warned that the problems can "negatively" affect the implementation of projects.

He called for Turkey and China, in particular, to overcome the problems facing them so as to provide "much better ground" for cooperation on "Belt and Road" projects.

In Atli's view, lack of dialogue is the biggest one confronting the two countries.

He voiced support for the establishment of a joint commission to help the two sides to consult regularly "within a systematic and institutionalized setting." Endit