The Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Alparslan Bayraktar, recently visited Beijing to discuss cooperation between Turkey and China. He held talks on renewable energy and rare earth minerals that are essential for modern industries. Two years ago, Ankara had announced the discovery of the world's second-largest rare earth reserves, second only to China and now Bayraktar's visit paved the way for a preliminary deal on what officials are calling the 'energy transition'. Apart from renewable energy, a Chinese company is also in contention to build a nuclear plant in Turkey's Thrace region.