“We take China's security as our security," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said during a joint news briefing with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing on August 3, state-run broadcaster TRT World reported.

"We absolutely will not allow in Turkey any activities targeting or opposing China. We will take measures to eliminate any media reports targeting China,” Cavusoglu added, without elaborating.

Turkey and China have strong and growing trade and business ties. The bilateral trade volume between the two countries stood at $27.8bn last year, up from $27.3bn in 2015 and $24.2bn in 2011. In May, Erdogan visited China to attend the international summit on China’s One Belt, One Road (OBOR) initiative, the global project potentially involving hundreds of billions of dollars of financing to create infrastructure and trade networks across four continents.

During his Beijing visit, Cavusoglu also praised “all the actions Beijing has taken in combating Islamic State as well as reaching a political settlement in the Syrian war.”

Some of the foreign minister’s words, such as those on a possible media crackdown, may caused added disquiet in Brussels which is leaning on Ankara to halt its slide to authoritarianism if it is serious about one day joining the European Union.

For his part Wang said that “deepening collaboration on anti-terror and security is the most central part of the two countries' relationship”.

“China is willing to work with Turkey to enhance the ancient spirit of the Silk Road and in jointly promoting the One Belt One Road plan to unlock new cooperative potential,” Wang said.

Spat over restricted Uighurs
Beijing blames the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) for terror attacks in its Xinjiang region, home to its Uighur minority. Turkey has close religious, ethnic and linguistic ties to Uighurs.

In 2015, Ankara angered China when it expressed concern over reports that Beijing restricted Uighurs from worshipping and fasting during the holy month of Ramadan.

In early July that year anti-Chinese protests were held outside China’s embassy and consulates in Turkey.

However, during a visit to China in July 2015, Erdogan said that Turkey supported China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and opposed terrorist activities of the ETIM aimed at China.

Turkey stood ready to strengthen cooperation with China in such areas as investment, transport networks, and infrastructure construction, and welcomed Chinese businesses investing in Turkey, Erdogan said back then.

Erdogan and his Chinese counterpart Xi have lately agreed to enhance bilateral economic ties under OBOR. Several documents on cooperation in judicial, transportation and cultural areas were signed during Erdogan’s visit to the summit.

Erdogan, reportedly, discussed with Xi construction of Turkey’s third nuclear plan. Ankara has already commissioned Russia and Japan for two nuclear power plants.

Turkey’s exports to China -mainly marble and travertine, chromium, copper, lead, iron, natural borate ores, boric oxide, boric acid- have been worth around $2bn-$3bn since 2011 while the country’s imports from the East Asian country increased to $28bn in 2016 from $21.7bn in 2011. Turkey imports automatic data processing machines, wireless telephone devices, toys, audio-visual devices, cruise/ merchant ships from China.

Main Chinese investments in Turkey:

In July, Turk Eximbank obtained a 3-year, $200mn loan from China Development Bank.

ICBC has acquired a 75% stake in small-size lender Tekstilbank from Turkish conglomerate GSD Holding. In May 2016, Bank of China got a licence to operate in Turkey.

In February 2015, The China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC) and another Chinese firm GUOXIN International Investment Corporation (GXIIC) signed an agreement with Turkey’s Dedeli Yatirim, owned by Turkish conglomerate Yildizlar Holding, and some other individual shareholders to acquire a 75% stake in Turkish power distribution network Osmangazi Elektrik Dagitim (OEDAS) and Osmangazi Elektrik Perakende (OEPSAS) for a consideration of $384.6mn.

In 2015, a Chinese consortium, led by port operator China Merchants Holdings International Co., acquired a 64.5% stake in Turkish port operator Fina Liman for $920mn.