TIANJIN, CHINA - SEPT. 1, 2025 : Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met Monday, Sept. 1, with the Communist Party Secretary Cai Qi within the scope of Shanghai Cooperation Organization 25th Heads of State Council Summit in Tianjin, China. During the meeting, Erdogan said Türkiye aims to raise its trade volume, now nearing $50 billion, in a balanced and sustainable way. On Sunday, Chinese President Xi Jinping said that China and Türkiye should strengthen the synergy between the Belt and Road Initiative and the Middle Corridor Initiative as he hailed Türkiye’s "spirit of self-reliance." He said that China and Türkiye are both emerging powers and important members of the Global South, both possessing a spirit of "independence and self-reliance," Beijing's Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Emphasizing that next year marks the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, Xi said China and Türkiye should take this opportunity to elevate bilateral relations to a new level. The SCO meeting is being held Sunday and Monday, marking the fifth annual summit hosted by China since the forum was established in 2001. The summit convenes amid escalating geopolitical tensions, including Israel's war on the Gaza Strip, the Ukraine conflict and international tariff disputes. Xi, serving as the rotating chair, will preside over the summit.