Erdogan Pitches Closer Alignment Between Türkiye’s Middle Corridor and China’s Belt and Road

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping as part of his visit to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Tianjin, China on August 31, 2025. Image via Anadolu Agency

In his first visit to China in five years, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan proposed that Ankara’s Middle Corridor trade route more closely align with the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

The Middle Corridor is a Turkish-backed multi-modal trade route that aims to connect Asia, particularly China, with European markets.

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