Turkey sets $125B exports target for 2009
Posted by meb at February 12th, 2007
Speaking at the opening of the general administrative council of the Independent Businessmen Association in the southeastern city of Gaziantep State Minister for Foreign trade Kürşad Tüzmen said Turkey achieved a remarkable growth rate last year.
Tüzmen said Turkey owed much of the growth in its economy to foreign trade.
“We have set a goal, to reach 500 billion USD worth of export in 2023 and when we reach 100 billion USD worth of exports we will have accomplished a very important thing. Our aim for 2009 is 125 billion dollars,” said Tüzmen.
Underscoring that the axis of the global economy moved towards the east, Tüzmen said “it’s moving towards China and India. A new axis, a new center of attraction. This will pass over Turkey. Our aim is to keep this eastern sun shining on Turkey, as much as we can so that we achieve the best efficiency.”
Turkish exports to China boom
Turkish exports to the People’s Republic of China have been rising strikingly in recent months.
“Turkey’s exports to China increased by 68 percent every month in the past three months,” said Kürşad Tüzmen, State Minister for Foreign Trade on Sunday.
Tüzmen indicated that Turkey is pursuing a win-win strategy with China in its commercial relations.
“We recently visited China with 160 Turkish businessmen. Our businessmen talked face to face with Chinese business community leaders. We informed our Chinese friends that we see China not as a threat but a country offering opportunities,” remarked Tüzmen.
Minister Tüzmen stressed that, after the businessmen’s trip in September, exports to China increased significantly.
“Turkish exports to China increased by 70 percent in January, 2007 compared to the same month in 2006,” underlined Tüzmen.
Kürsad Tüzmen told that a Turkish company recently won a tender to build infrastructures in Beijing, the capital city preparing for the Olympic Games in 2008. “The Turkish company that won the tender will act as an organizer for activities pertaining to stadium, aisles and play grounds,” noted Tüzmen.
He added that the Chinese Minister of Commerce Bo Xiali will arrive in Turkey on March 19th to attend the Turkey-China Joint Economic Committee meetings.
Here are the export figures to China during the past three months:
(USD million)
Months 2005 2006 2007
November 40,2 61,3 -
December 37,0 68,6 -
January 21,7 35,3 59,2
source: The New Anatolian
Related posts: