Türkiye seeks cooperation with China on electric cars, battery production

by Burak Akinci

ANKARA, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Türkiye is seeking to cooperate and learn from China's expertise on electric vehicles (EVs) and battery technologies, a move that will broaden the economic cooperation between the two nations, experts said.

Turkish Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacir, accompanied by business representatives, held meetings with Chinese officials and visited eight Chinese cities during a visit to China in December 2023.

Kacir engaged with prominent automotive and battery manufacturing companies, including GAC AION, Chery, Zeekr, BYD, SAIC, Fararis and Huawei.

He highlighted China's role as a pioneer in transforming the automotive industry and said he was particularly impressed by China's growing technology in EVs and touted China as a role model in this field for his country.

"Chinese automotive companies have surpassed the world in innovative technologies, enabling them to export electric vehicles to global markets," the Turkish minister told the semi-official Anadolu Agency.

Kacir pointed out that China has heavily invested in high technology and become one of the world's leaders in advanced technologies.

The minister said that battery technologies constitute "an integral part" of electric vehicle production and that he wanted to "make Türkiye into a production base for electric vehicles and batteries."

Selcuk Colakoglu, director of the Ankara-based Centre for Asia-Pacific Studies and a Turkish expert on China, hailed China's "huge progress" in EV production.

"Chinese companies have become very dominant not only in the Chinese market but also in the global market," he told Xinhua, adding that Chinese EV makers are focusing on technology development and lowering the costs to manufacture competitive cars.

"Chinese EV makers are searching for global openings for the coming years, and in that regard, the developing markets are very important for these companies," Colakoglu said, emphasizing that Türkiye is a target for collaboration.

As Türkiye is a part of the European Union's customs union, forming joint ventures to produce EVs and batteries for the Turkish domestic market and also the European market would be a "win-win situation" for Chinese and Turkish companies, according to this expert.

As part of its efforts to attract investment in the electric vehicle sector, Türkiye had previously invited EV manufacturers to invest in the country, with a specific focus on engaging Chinese firms.

In 2022, Türkiye marked its entry into the EV industry with the launch of its domestic EV brand, Togg, aligning with the country's carbon-neutral goals for 2053 and its increasing investments in renewable energy sources.

Togg and Chinese energy conglomerate Farasis are in active cooperation and have joined hands for the construction of the first battery factory in northwest Türkiye.

Emre Ozpeynirci, an influential automotive industry expert from Istanbul, said that the investment from China, which has become an automotive manufacturing powerhouse in a matter of years, can act as a catalyst for boosting Turkish nascent electric vehicle industry.

Ozepeynirci also urged his country to take action to facilitate imports and investments from China, saying China's know-how as one of the industrial leaders "would open the way for Türkiye, sitting at the intersection of Europe and Asia."

China has become Türkiye's third-largest trading partner, with the total value of goods traded between them reaching 38.55 billion U.S. dollars in 2022 and China's direct investment in Türkiye exceeding 2.4 billion dollars by the end of 2022, according to Chinese statistics.