China-Turkey ties tipped for growth under belt and road but Nato, Uygur issue stand in the way
- Turkey will rely more on China’s technology and capital to develop the economy under the Belt and Road Initiative, analysts say
- But major differences stand in the way of closer ties, including Turkey’s Nato membership and concern about the treatment of Uygur Muslims
Despite being a middle power with security connections to the United States and economic ties with China, Turkey could rely more on development under the Belt and Road Initiative in the future, analysts say.
Turkey marked 51 years of diplomatic and trade ties with China this year, with President Xi Jinping telling his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan in September that Beijing was ready to elevate the strategic partnership between the two countries, established in 2010, to a higher level.
“Turkey, as a country in Nato, will be cautious towards China on the security front,” said Li Lifan, a senior fellow at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences. “But it will rely on China’s technology and capital to develop the digital economy under the Belt and Road Initiative.”
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The two nations signed a memorandum of understanding in 2015 to align development of the Belt and Road Initiative with the Middle Corridor, a trade initiative from Ankara that aims to link China with Europe via Turkey – which officially has changed its name to Türkiye – by road and rail.