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China shuts Turkey consulate in wake of Uygur row
Kristin Huang
Updated: Friday, 1 Mar, 2019 10:18pm
China has closed its consulate in Izmir, in a move which has been interpreted as a response to comments by Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu about its treatment of , speaks during a news conference with his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi in Amman, Jordan February 19, 2018. Photo: Reuters
China has shut down its consulate in Turkey’s second biggest city following repeated criticism by the Islamic country of Beijing’s treatment of Uygur and other Muslims in its far western Xinjiang region.
“China has decided to temporarily close the consulate in Izmir from February 28, 2019. All diplomatic and consular services of the Izmir consulate will be handled by the Chinese embassy [in Ankara],” according to a notice on the embassy’s WeChat social media account.
The notice went on to say that the decision related solely to internal working arrangements and work efficiency had been one of the factors taken into account.
The shutdown of the Izmir consulate comes days after Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told a United Nations rights forum in Geneva that reports of human rights violations in Xinjiang were a serious cause for concern.
“We encourage Chinese authorities and expect that universal human rights, including freedom of religion, are respected and full protection of the cultural identities of the Uygurs and other Muslims is ensured,” Cavusoglu said, according to Al Jazeera.
Cavusoglu’s remarks were the latest in a war of words on the issue between Ankara and Beijing, which began early last month when Turkish leaders described China’s treatment of its Muslim ethnic Uygur people in Xinjiang as “a great embarrassment for humanity”, prompting a strong rebuke from China.
Beijing said the Turkish criticisms were “vile” and, on February 13, its Ankara embassy advised Chinese travelling to Turkey to “be wary and pay attention to their personal safety”.
Beijing also said Turkey should have a proper understanding of the legal efforts made by China to fight terrorism and extremism within its borders effectively.
China insists that the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, as it is officially known, faces a serious threat from Muslim extremists who want to separate the region from Beijing’s control, while plotting attacks and stirring up tensions with the ethnic Han majority.
Li Lifan, a Xinjiang affairs specialist from the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, said the closure of the consulate could be seen as a diplomatic warning by Beijing, which would not have forgotten past comments on the issue from Turkey’s leadership.
“China is not satisfied with Turkey’s meddling in Beijing’s affairs in Xinjiang, especially when recalling past comments after the massive riots in Xinjiang 10 years ago,” Li said.
In July 2009, a series of violent riots broke out in Ürümqi, capital city of Xinjiang, which resulted in the deaths of 197 people, most of them Han, according to Chinese officials, and further 1,721 people wounded.
Then-prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is now president of Turkey, described the ethnic violence in Xinjiang as “a kind of genocide”, saying “we have difficulty understanding how China's leadership can remain a spectator in the face of these events”.
The Izmir consulate, set up in 2015, was China’s second in Turkey. Its first consulate was opened in Istanbul, following the establishment of its embassy in Ankara.
At the inauguration, then-consul general Su Gaochao said the opening showed Turkey and China were “opening a new page”, and called the consulate the fruitful outcome of 44 years of Turkish-Chinese diplomatic relations.
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/dip...3/china-shuts-turkey-consulate-wake-uygur-row
- Izmir mission closed down for ‘efficiency’
- Decision follows war of words between Beijing and Ankara over treatment of Muslim minority population in Xinjiang
Kristin Huang
Updated: Friday, 1 Mar, 2019 10:18pm
China has closed its consulate in Izmir, in a move which has been interpreted as a response to comments by Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu about its treatment of , speaks during a news conference with his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi in Amman, Jordan February 19, 2018. Photo: Reuters
China has shut down its consulate in Turkey’s second biggest city following repeated criticism by the Islamic country of Beijing’s treatment of Uygur and other Muslims in its far western Xinjiang region.
“China has decided to temporarily close the consulate in Izmir from February 28, 2019. All diplomatic and consular services of the Izmir consulate will be handled by the Chinese embassy [in Ankara],” according to a notice on the embassy’s WeChat social media account.
The notice went on to say that the decision related solely to internal working arrangements and work efficiency had been one of the factors taken into account.
The shutdown of the Izmir consulate comes days after Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told a United Nations rights forum in Geneva that reports of human rights violations in Xinjiang were a serious cause for concern.
“We encourage Chinese authorities and expect that universal human rights, including freedom of religion, are respected and full protection of the cultural identities of the Uygurs and other Muslims is ensured,” Cavusoglu said, according to Al Jazeera.
Cavusoglu’s remarks were the latest in a war of words on the issue between Ankara and Beijing, which began early last month when Turkish leaders described China’s treatment of its Muslim ethnic Uygur people in Xinjiang as “a great embarrassment for humanity”, prompting a strong rebuke from China.
Beijing said the Turkish criticisms were “vile” and, on February 13, its Ankara embassy advised Chinese travelling to Turkey to “be wary and pay attention to their personal safety”.
Beijing also said Turkey should have a proper understanding of the legal efforts made by China to fight terrorism and extremism within its borders effectively.
China insists that the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, as it is officially known, faces a serious threat from Muslim extremists who want to separate the region from Beijing’s control, while plotting attacks and stirring up tensions with the ethnic Han majority.
Li Lifan, a Xinjiang affairs specialist from the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, said the closure of the consulate could be seen as a diplomatic warning by Beijing, which would not have forgotten past comments on the issue from Turkey’s leadership.
“China is not satisfied with Turkey’s meddling in Beijing’s affairs in Xinjiang, especially when recalling past comments after the massive riots in Xinjiang 10 years ago,” Li said.
In July 2009, a series of violent riots broke out in Ürümqi, capital city of Xinjiang, which resulted in the deaths of 197 people, most of them Han, according to Chinese officials, and further 1,721 people wounded.
Then-prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is now president of Turkey, described the ethnic violence in Xinjiang as “a kind of genocide”, saying “we have difficulty understanding how China's leadership can remain a spectator in the face of these events”.
The Izmir consulate, set up in 2015, was China’s second in Turkey. Its first consulate was opened in Istanbul, following the establishment of its embassy in Ankara.
At the inauguration, then-consul general Su Gaochao said the opening showed Turkey and China were “opening a new page”, and called the consulate the fruitful outcome of 44 years of Turkish-Chinese diplomatic relations.
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/dip...3/china-shuts-turkey-consulate-wake-uygur-row
