Chinese vice president proceeds from Ankara to Istanbul

ISTANBUL (A.A) - Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping proceeded from capital Ankara to Istanbul on Tuesday. Turkish Economy Minister Zafer Caglayan accompanied Xi. Earlier in the day, Xi met Turkish President Abdullah Gul and Parliament Speaker Cemil Cicek. He will be received by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul today. Xi will address Turkish-Chinese Business Forum on Wednesday. 2012 was declared Chinese Year in Turkey. Next year will be Turkish Year in China. China is Turkey's third biggest trade partner in the world. Trade volume between the two countries exceeded 24 billion USD in 2011.