While the English-language press largely emphasized Türkiye’s apparent pivot toward China, Russia and the BRICS, Turkish media coverage of {foreign minister} Fidan's visit spotlighted his stay in Xinjiang. This focus is unsurprising given the Turkish press’ long-standing concern for the Uyghur people (see our 2022 report) — a concern rooted in cultural and religious affinity and Türkiye’s sizable and vocal Uyghur diaspora (~50,000 people).
Despite Fidan’s remarks that the Uyghur issue is “a cultural matter,” that terrorism has inflicted “great harm” on Xinjiang’s social stability, and that Türkiye is willing to strengthen counterterrorism cooperation with China, most of the Turkish press argued that Fidan did not compromise on Ankara’s support for the Uyghurs. This contrasts sharply with the coverage in many Western news outlets, which have implied that Türkiye has sold out the Uyghurs in exchange for Chinese investments and to join the BRICS.
Pro-government Turkish media instead underscored how Fidan raised Türkiye’s concerns over Chinese policies in Xinjiang. For instance, the government-friendly newspaper Sabah highlighted that "Minister Fidan explained Türkiye’s views to Chinese authorities in Beijing and Xinjiang with sincerity and openness during his visit."[6] They also covered this statement from Fidan during his press conference with Wang Yi:
“Urumqi and Kashgar are two ancient Turkic Muslim that contribute to the cultural richness of China. These cities play a bridge role between China and the Turkish and Islamic world.”[7]
Similarly, TRT News, Türkiye’s public broadcaster, reported that:
“Diplomatic sources noted that during his meetings, Minister Fidan emphasized the importance of protecting the cultural rights and heritage of the Uyghur Turks, highlighting the sensitivities of the Turkish and Islamic world on this issue. Minister Fidan stated that addressing these concerns would benefit everyone. The FM stressed that changing the perception on this matter would only be possible through steps taken by China. ”[8]
The Turkish government and media also highlighted Fidan’s visits to Uyghur cultural and religious sites and his interactions with local Uyghurs, including a chat in Turkish with an 80-year-old Uyghur woman (Turkish and Uyghur are somewhat mutually intelligible).[9] Several Turkish analysts argued that these gestures demonstrate Ankara’s concern for Uyghur culture and the cultural bond between the Turkish and Uyghur people.[10] Some even suggested that Fidan’s choice to wear an azure tie and white shirt during his stay was a gesture of solidarity toward the Uyghurs, as these colors are those of the flag of the short-lived and unrecognized East Turkestan Republic (1933–1934) and of many Uyghur rights and independence movements.[11]
Regardless of whether this was an intentional gesture, Turkish analysts agreed that Fidan aimed to show solidarity with the Uyghurs, though there was debate on the motivations.[12]
TRT News, for instance, argued that the visit was meant to reaffirm Türkiye's role as “the patron of the Turkish world,” asserting that “Türkiye and its President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will never abandon Turks, no matter where they are.”[13] The article included an interview with Associate Professor Ramin Sadık of Bayburt University’s Department of History, who posited that the visit excited people across “Türkiye, Azerbaijan, and the Turkish world,” as Xinjiang holds an “important place in Muslim Turkish memory.”[14] Sadık echoed the idea of Türkiye having purportedly responsibility toward all Turkic peoples, stating:
“Türkiye, of course, defends the rights of its compatriots living in China.”[15]
A more politically cynical perspective was offered by journalist Murat Yetkin, the former editor-in-chief of the newspaper Hürriyet Daily News, who was forced to resign in 2018 due to his critical reporting. In an article for his blog, Yetkin argued that:
“the [Uyghur] issue is a domestic political issue. It is a matter of competition between nationalist and Islamist parties and groups.”[16]
However, he added that:
“Although Türkiye has criticized China, it has done so on its own terms, not following the propaganda line of the U.S. and Western European countries.”[17]
Professor Abdurresit Celil Karluk of Haci Bayram Veli University echoed this view in comments to the US state-supported news outlet Voice of America, stating that:
"It seems that the message was intended for both China and Turkish domestic politics and the Uyghur diaspora."[18]
This perspective, which interprets Fidan’s visit to Xinjiang as an effort to navigate Beijing’s red lines while placating Turkish sensibilities is well-founded.[19] When the Uyghur issue is brought up in Türkiye, it is usually leveraged by government and opposition politicians to rally popular support rather than to directly criticize China (Ankara has never supported Western calls for investigations into Beijing’s policies in Xinjiang at the UN).
Similarly, criticism toward Fidan’s trip to Xinjiang was mainly from the political opposition. Namık Tan, a member of parliament from the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), criticized Fidan's visit on X, accusing it of being “a show filled with touristic visits, shopping and [prayers], without producing any concrete results.” Tan stated that:
“It appears that our ‘independent foreign policy’ is limited to touristic visits as far as China allows. […] the ‘education camps’ where Uyghur Turks are subjected to oppression and torture were not part of this visit.”
Besides this politically motivated critique, the only other significant criticism of Fidan’s trip in Türkiye came from Uyghur rights groups and East Turkestan “governments-in-exile.” Their statements, however, received almost no coverage in the Turkish press.[20]
The Turkish press also showed interest in the Chinese reaction to Fidan’s visit to Xinjiang, particularly his remarks on the "Islamic and Turkic" nature of Urumqi and Kashgar.[21] On this note, the Turkish foreign policy analysis platform Harici published an article by Professor Yang Cheng, Executive Director of the Center for Turkish Studies at Shanghai University, who criticized Fidan's statement as “very strange” as:
“we Chinese never use words such as Islamic, Turkic, Christian, Buddhist to describe Chinese cities, which trigger many negative connotations among Chinese people”.[22]
Regardless, the rather muted reactions by Chinese officials during and after the visit seem to confirm the view that Fidan managed to strike the right balance with China.[23]
Footnotes
[6] Betul Ustam 12 yıl aradan sonra üst düzey ziyaret: Gündemde 3 kritik başlık var! Bakan Fidan'dan "Uygur Türkleri" vurgusu [High-level visit after 12 years: There are 3 critical topics on the agenda! Minister Fidan emphasizes " Uyghur Turks "], Sabah, June 5, 2024, link.
[7] Lutfullah Goktas, Ambassador & Chief Media Adviser of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, X (formely Twitter), June 4, 2024, link;
Mehmet Shah Yilmaz, Emre Aytekin & Busranur Koca, Bakan Fidan: Türkiye ile Çin arasındaki ilişkiler, bölgesel ve küresel barışın sağlanmasına katkı sağlayacaktır [Minister Fidan: Relations between Türkiye and China will contribute to regional and global peace], Anadolu Ajansı, June 4, 2024, link.
[8] Bakan Fidan, Uygur Özerk Bölgesi'ni ziyaret etti [Minister Fidan visited the Uyghur Autonomous Region], TRT Haber, June 5, 2024, link.
[9] Faruk Hanedar, Dışişleri Bakanı Fidan, Urumçi'de Yanghang Camii'ni ve Uluslararası Büyük Pazar'ı ziyaret etti [Foreign Minister Fidan visited Yanghang Mosque and International Grand Bazaar in Urumqi], Anadolu Ajansı, June 5, 2024, link;
Hakan Fidan ve Uygur Türkü Emine teyzenin sıcak sohbeti gülümsetti [The warm conversation between Hakan Fidan and Uyghur Turk Aunt Emine made people smile], CNN Turk, June 6, 2024, link.
[10] Nurettin Akçay, Hakan Fidan'ın Çin'i rahatsız eden sözleri: Peki bundan sonra ne olacak? [Hakan Fidan's disturbing words for China: So what will happen next?], Independent Türkçe, June 8, 2024, link;
Ayse Simsek, Türkiye Türk dünyasının hamisi: Hakan Fidan Uygur Türklerini ziyaret etti [Türkiye is the patron of the Turkish world: Hakan Fidan visited the Uyghur Turks], TRT News, June 10, 2024, link.
[11] Doğu Türkistan'ı ziyaret eden Bakan Fidan kravatıyla mesaj Verdi [Minister Fidan, who visited East Turkestan, gave a message with his tie], Haberet, June 6, 2024, link.
[12] Ezgi Akin, Have Turkey, China hit reset button on Uyghurs as Fidan visits Xinjiang?, Al-Monitor, June 5, 2024, link.
[13] Ayse Simsek, Türkiye is the patron of the Turkish world: Hakan Fidan visited the Uyghur Turks.
[14] Ibid.
[15] Ibid.
[16] Murat Yetkin, Çin’den iki soru: Türkiye BRICS’e mi girecek? Fidan Sincan’da ne dedi? [Two questions from China: Will Türkiye join BRICS? What did Fidan say in Xinjiang?], Yetkin Report, June 5, 2024, link (also available in English).
[17] Ibid.
[18] Kasim Kashgar, Turkish diplomat's visit to Uyghur region in China raises concerns, Voice of America, June 6, 2024, link.
[19] Çağdaş Üngör, A Turkish foreign minister in China: Subtitles of a silent visit, Middle East Institute, June 12, 2024, link.
[20] Uygur STK’ları Hakan Fidan’ın Çin ve Doğu Türkistan ziyareti ile ilgili açıklama yaptı [Uyghur NGOs made a statement regarding Hakan Fidan's visit to China and East Turkestan], Haber Nida, June 3, 2024, link.
[21] Nurettin Akçay, Hakan Fidan's disturbing words for China: So what will happen next?.
[22] Fidan ziyareti Türkiye-Çin ilişkilerinde yeni bir kapı açacak mı? [Will Fidan's visit open a new door in Türkiye-China relations?], Harici, June 10, 2024, link.
[23] Ezgi Akin, Have Turkey, China hit reset button on Uyghurs as Fidan visits Xinjiang?.
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