Turkey and China have already had a relationship since 2000 when they signed a joint communiqué. Now, Turkey has decided to develop that partnership a step up as Turkey agreed to a military cooperation with China.
According to Al Monitor, the Chinese-Turkey relationship is further bolstered by the election of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The cooperation was discussed in depth during the 91 founding anniversary of the People's Liberation Army (PLA). It was remarkable that there are high-ranking diplomats, officials, and politicians that belong to the Turkish Armed Forces present in the gathering.
It could not have come at a better time for China. In this Mei.edu analysis, Turkey warms up to China at a time when the current administration is leaning more toward the East than to the West. The United States and Ankara aren't in the best of relations; this was only aggravated by the failed military coup of 2016 and has since developed with the new administration in place.
Turkey and China, in contrast, realized a few key points gleaned from their 2010 joint communiqué. The loss of Washington is Beijing's gain, so it seems. While there are some issues that China faces from Turkey, most particularly the issue with the Uyghur militants turning terrorists, China has actually seen Ankara as an important partner in progress and other things, such as military tactics.
It has begun with the economic relations established in 2016 when China and Turkey traded worth $27.8 billion of goods with each other. China has also established a number of companies in Turkey-around 786 as of 2017.
Turkey has also been an important strategic partner for China in its "Belt and Road Initiative" plans. The country is key to connecting the Chinese initiative toward countries in the European Union. In turn, it also connects the West to countries like Afghanistan and Pakistan and the Central Asian region.
China is planning to increase the number of high-level meetings between the two countries in the upcoming months. These discussions will cover a wide range of interests for the two countries but will focus mostly on strengthening their military. Some of the important issues include education and training in the military, among other things. The defense industry, as well as widespread terrorism, is also a key point in these discussions.
