Interview: Fighting COVID-19 with China an unforgettable experience

During an interview, Sabri Tunc Angili, the Turkish Consul General in Shanghai, described fighting COVID-19 with China as his "most unforgettable life experience."

A letter of thanks and a donation certificate, issued by the Shanghai Charity Foundation, have been placed on a display rack in his meeting room.

Angili launched a donation campaign for Shanghai's medical workers, dispatched to Wuhan in the fight against the novel coronavirus, and later got recognized for his contribution.

The Turkish Consul General was impressed by the government of Hubei, hit hard by COVID-19, but still tried its best to help evacuate dozens of Turkish nationals, which greatly touched him while he participated in the mission.

"It was a huge logistic challenge, and it could not be possible without the cooperation of the Hubei government," Angili said.

As the world's most populous country, China has effectively brought the epidemic under control within a short period, which was a really difficult challenge, the Consul General told Xinhua.

From his perspective, this marks the success of the joint efforts of the Chinese government and its people, from which other countries can learn.

"The flow of information about the pandemic is extremely free in China," Angili said, noting that both the Chinese government and the media are open and transparent.

Angili still feels surprised at what he has experienced over the past few months and is developing new insights into this big country.

Many Turks in Shanghai have received medical materials such as face masks from the Foreign Affairs Office of the municipal government and the Shanghai People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries.

The Chinese city also donated a batch of nucleic acid testing kits to Istanbul when COVID-19 broke out in Turkey.

Professors and doctors from universities in Turkey have established a sort of scientific advisory board to give advice on what precautions should be taken against the virus, said the Consul General, adding that the members had "expert-to-expert dialogues" with their Chinese counterparts via video conferences.

"Through combating COVID-19 together with China, the Turks regard the Chinese people as our true friends, which will also facilitate cooperation between our two countries," Angili said.

Turkish Airlines is expected to resume flights from Istanbul to Guangzhou by the end of the month. Several Turkish enterprises have confirmed their participation in the 3rd China International Import Expo (CIIE), scheduled for November in Shanghai.

According to Angili, this year's CIIE will provide an opportunity for Turkey to increase the competitiveness of its advantage products, especially dairy products.

The COVID-19 pandemic is a highly-influential public health event, said the Turkish Consul General, noting that the world will become different in the post-coronavirus era.

He said that instead of blaming and stigmatization, solidarity and cooperation remain the only path to follow.