Chinese Vice FM Visits Turkey to Discuss Cooperation, Coup Attempt

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Ming is on a visit to Turkey with the aim of discussing the recent military coup attempt, as well as bilateral ties, an official foreign ministry representative said.

China hopes that Ming’s visit to Turkey will help deepen bilateral cooperation and contribute to a stable development of relations between China and Turkey, Hua Chunying said in a Friday statement.

On July 15, an attempted coup took place in Turkey that was suppressed the following day. Over 240 people were killed during the coup attempt and an estimated 2,000 were wounded. Ankara has accused US-based dissident Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen and his followers of playing a key role in the coup.

In June, China's Assistant Foreign Minister Li Huilai said that China supported the further strengthening cooperation between Turkey and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which includes Russia and China among other members.