Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke by phone with Chinese President Xi Jinping on July 13 to discuss steps to improve bilateral ties, according to Turkish Radio and Television (TRT) and Anadolu Agency. Erdogan and Xi discussed steps to improve bilateral relations, particularly in the areas of trade, investment, energy, transport and health, and regional development, the report said. Erdoğan expressed Turkey’s respect for China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, stressing that it is important for Turkey’s Uighurs to live in prosperity, freedom and peace as equal citizens of China.
Erdogan and Xi discussed steps to improve bilateral relations, the report said. Erdoğan stressed that Turkey and China have a wide potential for cooperation in all areas of regional and global economy and diplomacy, and that the joint high-level group will provide the main impetus for the two countries’ cooperation.
Erdoğan also said they would like to mark the 50th anniversary of Turkish-Chinese diplomatic relations in a manner worthy of the deep-rooted friendship between the two countries.
Expressing Turkey’s respect for China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, Erdoğan stressed that it is important for Turkey’s Uighurs to live in prosperity, freedom and peace as equal citizens of China.
Uighurs, who make up about 45 percent of the population in the Xinjiang autonomous region, have long accused Chinese authorities of cultural, religious and economic discrimination, according to the report.
The report said that according to U.S. officials and U.N. experts, as many as 1 million people, or 7 percent of the Muslim population in Xinjiang, are being held in a network of “political re-education” camps.
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