China taking steps to change the international perception of the situation of the Uyghur ethnic minority would be a vital move to resolve the issue, diplomatic sources said Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan had conveyed to Chinese authorities during his visit.
On Wednesday, during his three-day visit to China, Fidan visited Urumqi, the capital of China's northwestern Xinjiang province, and Kashgar province.
Diplomatic sources said that Fidan’s visits to the two Uyghur-majority provinces have been beneficial in observing the situation on the field and conveying their view clearly to Chinese officials.
Underlining that Türkiye’s top diplomat emphasized respect for China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity while refraining from interfering in its internal issues, the sources said that Fidan conveyed the following: “Uyghur Turks and all other people living in China being in a state of prosperity and peace would please us. You know the sensitivities of the Turkish and Islamic world regarding the protection of the cultural rights of the Uyghur Turks and their enjoyment of their values. Eliminating these sensitivities and the reasons that cause them will be of great benefit to everyone.”
“The Uyghur Turks, with whom we have ethnic, religious and cultural links, are of high importance for us,” Fidan said, adding that the Uyghurs constitute a bridge between the two countries.
Fidan met with Ma Xingrui, secretary of the Communist Party of China Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Regional Committee and governor Erkin Tuniyaz in Urumqi.
Fidan's visit to the Xinjiang province, home to the ethnic Turkic Uyghur people who are mostly Muslims, is the highest-level visit from Türkiye since President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, then-prime minister, visited the region in April 2012.
In recent times, Türkiye has taken steps to strengthen its relations with all regions of China.
In this context, Ankara reinforced its diplomatic presence in China by opening the Chengdu Consulate General last year, in addition to its embassy in Beijing and consulates in Guangzhou, Shanghai and Hong Kong.
The sources said that two main topics were discussed during Fidan’s China visit beside the Uyghur issue, namely economic and international issues.
Regarding the economy, Fidan and his delegation proposed concrete measures to close the trade gap in favor of China.
“China is our largest trade partner in Asia and the world's third-largest trade partner. We want to reduce the trade deficit, which is against Türkiye. We expect China to import more, especially our agricultural and food products. We wish to encourage more tourists from China to travel to our country. We want to cooperate with China on nuclear energy,” Fidan told Chinese authorities, the sources elaborated.
He also underlined that more efforts are needed to synchronize the Middle Corridor and Belt and Road initiatives (BRI).
The Trans-Caspian East-West-Middle Corridor Initiative dubbed the "Middle Corridor" in short, is one of the most important parts of efforts to revive the ancient Silk Road trade route that connects East Asia and Europe. Fidan's call comes also as Türkiye recently signed an agreement with Iraq, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the Development Road Project, which has the potential to be connected to China's BRI.
Fidan met with Han Zheng, China's vice president and a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee as well as his counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing.
On international issues, Gaza, Ukraine and the developments in the Asia-Pacific region were on the agenda.
The Turkish minister’s visit comes at a time when China raised its voice about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. This week, the Chinese president called for a Middle East peace conference. Beijing has kept a relatively low profile amid the conflict, unlike its major rival, the United States, which has fervently endorsed Israel amid brutal massacres of Palestinians. Türkiye, for its part, leads diplomatic efforts to end the conflict and for a two-state solution. Fidan has been busy with a diplomatic blitz in cooperation with counterparts from the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to that extent.
