The Turkish Factor in China’s Uyghur Question

 Introduction. The situation in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region is drawing increased international attention. A number of UN reports and ones by non-governmental organizations accuse the PRC of violating the rights of the Uyghur population. Western powers tend to use the issue as a tool of political pressure on China. However, the reaction of Turkey — a nation that positions itself as leader of the ‘Turkic world’ — remains somewhat restrained. Materials and methods. The paper addresses the methodology of internationalization (expansion) of ethnic conflict and the structural realist approach in the theory of international relations to identify key factors of Turkey’s foreign policy on the Uyghur agenda. The employed methods include those of historical and situational analysis, while the attempted insights into documents and statements of decision-makers coupled with mass media monitoring efforts seek to identify most conflictive aspects of Turkey-China relations and determine their causes. Results. The conducted historical and situational analyses reveal Turkey is pursuing an ambivalent policy on the issue of Muslims’ violated rights in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, which manifests the contradiction between the ‘neo-Ottoman’ vision of Turkey’s role in the contemporary world order — and the need of a pragmatic foreign policy course in the spirit of political realism. Given China’s role in the present-day system of international relations is actually increasing to shape a crucial center of power in the emerging multipolar world, Turkey restrains from any essential criticism towards the Chinese Government. Conclusions. The work identifies main factors behind Turkey’s dual position on the Uyghur question in the PRC: the country’s ‘neo-Ottoman’ ambitions and support for the Uyghurs in public consciousness — and the unprecedented monetary/financial crisis in Turkey, a need to seek foreign investment, participation in the Belt and Road Initiative, and military/technical cooperation with China. The study attests to the Turkish Government retains its commitment to the traditional principles of political realism basically aimed at ensuring national security and stability of economic development.

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