Türkiye, China to set up urbanization working group

BEIJING

Türkiye and China have agreed to establish a joint working group on housing and urbanization, Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Minister Murat Kurum has said after talks in Beijing.

Kurum met China’s Housing and Urban-Rural Development Minister Ni Hong during his visit to the Chinese capital, where the two sides discussed urban planning, housing policies, urban transformation and smart cities.

“We discussed our work in urbanization, housing policies, urban transformation and smart cities, especially COP31, which Türkiye will host,” Kurum said.

He said Türkiye also shared its experience from its large-scale reconstruction efforts and its vision for disaster-resilient, people-centered urban planning.

“As two of the world’s leading countries in housing and urbanization, we decided to establish a joint working group and sign a memorandum of understanding,” Kurum said.

Kurum also met China’s Ecology and Environment Minister Huang Runqiu to discuss cooperation during the COP31 process.

“We will also cooperate at COP31 with China, which has already shown that clear policies aligned with climate targets can produce strong results,” Kurum said in a social media post after the meeting.

Türkiye will host COP31 in Antalya on Nov. 9-20, 2026, under Kurum’s presidency.