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CHINA POWER | DIPLOMACY | EAST ASIA

Amid Tensions With Turkey, China Is Putting the

Kurdish Issue in Play
Responding to Turkey’s stepped up rhetoric on Uyghurs, Beijing is taking aim at an
DECEMBER 13, 2021

Kishida’s New
Japan in the ethnic issue sensitive to Ankara.
COVID-19 Era

By Nurettin Akcay
December 04, 2021

DECEMBER 10, 2021

China-Turkey relations have been full of ups and downs since
Amid Omicron
Worries, North 1971. In addition to some structural problems related to trade,
Korea Orders the Uyghur issue seems to be the most insurmountable issue
Strengthened driving a wedge between China and Turkey.
Quarantine on
China Border The Uyghur issue has triggered political tensions between the
two countries many times. There is a large Uyghur diaspora
population residing in Turkey, and Turkic nationalist
sentiments extend to the Uyghur ethnic group. China,
meanwhile, is extremely sensitive to any hint of separatist
DECEMBER 09, 2021

How Mongolia sentiment stemming from the Uyghurs, including appeals to

Turned the transnational ethnic identity. Credit: Depositphotos
Tides of the
Pandemic China-Turkey relations came to a halt between 1990 and 2000
following the anti-Chinese activities of the Uyghurs in the 1980s. Bilateral

M
relations gained momentum when the AK Party came to power, but ties were
MULTIMEDIA seriously weakened again with the Urumqi riots that broke out in 2009. Turkey
reacted very harshly to the ensuing crackdown, with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan describing the events as genocide. As Chinese authorities were
displeased with Erdogan’s rhetoric, they cut off relations with Turkey.

DECEMBER 10, 2021 However, China-Turkey relations began to blossom again soon after that. Despite
Laos Unlocked some setbacks, the years 2010-2018 can be called the golden years of the
relationship. The 2016 coup attempt and U.S. support of Kurdish militias in Syria,
the YPG, pushed Turkey into Russia and China’s orbit. While Turkey drew closer
to the China-Russia front during this period, Ankara’s relations with China saw
perhaps the best period in history. The countries exchanged high-level diplomatic
NOVEMBER 24, 2021
visits and signed economic, cultural, and educational agreements. By 2018, the
AUKUS’
Reception in the number of Chinese companies operating in Turkey exceeded 1,000.

N
Indo-Pacific
Furthermore, Turkey is a strategic partner of China in
DIPLOMAT BRIEF
WEEKLY NEWSLETTER the implementation of China’s Belt and Road
Initiative (BRI). Ankara has expressed its support for
Get briefed on the story of the the project on every platform. In May 2017, President
week, and developing stories to Erdogan attended the Belt and Road Forum held in
NOVEMBER 20, 2021
watch across the Asia-Pacific. Beijing with senior government officials. The
Biden, Xi, and
the Importance GET THE NEWSLETTER president assured China that Turkey was ready to
of Guardrails in lend all kinds of support to the BRI.
the US-China
Relationship Enjoying this article? Click here to subscribe for full access. Just $5 a month.

However, the camaraderie between the two nations did not last. The relations

INTERVIEW
I between China and Turkey became tense again in 2019. Reports emerged that a
famous Uyghur poet, Abdurrehim Heyit, had died in a Chinese detention camp on
February 9, 2019. The Turkish Foreign Ministry condemned China by making a
harsh statement, assuaging the anger of the Turkish public. But the Turkish
Foreign Ministry found itself in a difficult situation when China released a video
DECEMBER 13, 2021
that showed that the Muslim poet was still alive the next day.
China’s BRI
Interests in the Like previous issues, this incident was forgotten, and relations between the two
Maghreb countries quickly recovered. Despite all these disagreements between the two
By MERCY A. KUO
countries, the Chinese authorities refrained from making caustic statements and
Insights from
Mordechai tried not to meddle in Turkey’s sensitive issues. However, what happened in the
Chaziza. last months of 2021 caused China to take a different attitude. For first time, China
is now touching on issues that Turkey might be uncomfortable with – particularly
the Kurd issue.

Beijing’s new approach comes as Turkey has been taking steps to criticize China
lately. On October 22, 43 countries, including Turkey, urged China to “ensure full
respect for the rule of law” concerning the Muslim Uyghur community in
Xinjiang. It was the first time Turkey had supported such a call. This move
provoked China.

Then, on November 12, the Turkic Council convened in Istanbul and changed its
name to the Organization of Turkic States. This convention stirred political
tensions in China, where approximately 10 million Uyghurs live. The date of the
establishment of the Organization of Turkish States was critical – perhaps this
was the main issue that bothered China. The first East Turkistan Republic,
including part of today’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, was established on
November 12, 1933; the second was created on November 12, 1944. As a result,
the announcement of the Organization of Turkic States on the same date drew
many questions about the motives of the Turkish authorities. Was it a
coincidence, or was this date intentionally chosen?

Later actions of senior politicians in Ankara suggested that the date was, in fact,
politically motivated. Erdogan and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Chairman
Devlet Bahceli posed for the cameras with a “Map of the Turkish World” during
their meeting on November 17. The map included the Xinjiang region, homeland
of the Uyghurs.

These incidents forced China to move against Turkey. China’s Deputy Permanent
Representative to the United Nations Geng Shuang accused Turkey of violating
human rights in Syria. Geng described Turkey’s actions in northeast Syria as
illegal. “Since Turkey illegally invaded north-eastern Syria, it has regularly cut off
the water supply service from the Alouk Water Station,” he said. A fierce
argument ensued between Geng and Turkey’s representative, Feridun Sinirlioglu.

Responding to the allegations, Sinirlioglu said Turkey would not learn from those
who violate international human rights law and humanitarian law. “Both the
PKK/YPG and the Syrian regime abuse this Alouk Water Station issue repeatedly
for their ill-minded agendas,” he added.

The tit-for-tat continued. On November 24, Turkey’s Erdogan made a bold

statement in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. He said: “We keep track of
the situation of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in China with great
sensitivity. Our expectation is that the Organization of Islamic Cooperation will
show sensitivity to Uyghurs in line with its founding purposes.”

Authorities in Beijing fought back. A day later, Geng Shuang criticized Turkey’s air
operations in Iraq at the United Nations and claimed that civilians were killed due
to the airstrikes. Geng also called for respect for Iraq’s sovereignty.

After Turkey’s remarks on the Uyghur situation, China retaliated by focusing on

the regions where Kurds live and accusing Turkey of human rights abuses in
these regions. The Chinese actions sent a clear message to Turkey that China will
retaliate if Ankara continues to meddle in the Uyghur issue. China’s playbook is
simple: If Ankara continues to criticize China over the Uyghur issue, then Beijing
will bring Turkey’s actions in Iraq and Syria to the international agenda.

Enjoying this article? Click here to subscribe for full access. Just $5 a month.

These ongoing political events show that China-Turkey relations will likely enter a
troubled period in the future. Most likely, with the increasing presence of China in
the Middle East, Beijing may become an important player in the Kurdish issue.

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AUTHORS

GUEST AUTHOR

Nurettin Akcay
Dr. Nurettin Akcay obtained his Ph.D. in Global Studies from Shanghai University. In addition
to his academic career, he writes columns for the media outlet Independent Turkish. Follow
him on Twitter: @akcay_nurettinn

TAGS

China Power Diplomacy East Asia China China-Kurdistan relations China-Turkey relations Kurds Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Turkic peoples Uyghurs in Turkey

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