The Turkish Foreign Ministry summoned Chinese Ambassador Liu Shaobin to Turkey on Tuesday (April 5) because the Chinese embassy said it had “the right to respond” to Turkish opposition leaders who criticized China’s treatment of Uighur Muslims 30 years ago.
The two politicians, Meral Aksener, a member of parliament from Turkey’s center-right Good Party, and Mansur Yavas, the mayor of Ankara, the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), marked what they called the 31st anniversary of a brief uprising by Uighurs against the government in Xinjiang.
“We will not remain silent about their persecution and martyrdom,” Akseneyn tweeted. “We can still feel the pain of the 1990 massacre”, Yavas said.
The Chinese Embassy in Turkey responded with a statement on Twitter. “China firmly opposes any forces challenging China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in any way, and we strongly condemn this,” the Chinese government’s statement said. “China reserves its legitimate right to make a response.”
The Chinese ambassador Liu Shaobin was summoned by the Turkish Foreign Ministry following this response from the Chinese government.
Many of the 40,000 Uighurs living in Turkey have criticized the way the Turkish government has dealt with Beijing after China ratified an extradition treaty with Turkey last December. They fear the treaty could lead to them being sent back to China to face vague charges they deny.
Hundreds protested during a visit to Ankara last month by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
U.N. experts estimate that at least 1 million Uighurs and other Muslims are being held in detention centers in northwestern China’s Xinjiang province. The U.S. government said in January that China had committed “genocide and crimes against humanity” through its crackdown on the Uighurs.
Many Turks sympathize with the Uighurs of Xinjiang, who are also Turkic-speaking. For decades, many Uighurs have sought refuge in Turkey.
The Turkish government has called for the rights of Uighur Muslims, and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sparked Chinese outrage in 2009 when he accused China of “genocide” against Uighurs. But as Ankara and Beijing have strengthened economic ties in recent years, the Turkish government has become less vocal on Uighur issues. Turkish opposition figures have criticized President Erdogan and his ruling party for their silence on Uighur human rights issues.
Akseneyn and Yavas are considered potential rivals for Erdogan in the 2023 elections.
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