NewTurkish president Tayyip Erdogan likely to downplay Uygur concerns during China visit
Pragmatic Turkish leader understands role of Chinese investment while not alienating his conservative power base, experts say
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan will try to downplay the dispute with China over Uygurs and highlight trade and infrastructure cooperation during a two-day visit in China that starts on Wednesday, analysts say.
Analysts said China was likely to raise concerns over Turkey's diplomatic assistance to Turkic-speaking Uygurs in exile, but Erdogan is unlikely to make concessions.
The Turkish president is visiting China on Wednesday and Thursday at the invitation of President Xi Jinping, the Chinese foreign ministry announced on Monday.
Erdogan is leading a large delegation of ministers and nearly a hundred businessmen and journalists, said Dr Ragip Kutay Karaca, a professor of political science and international relations at Istanbul Gelisim University.
The visit comes after hundreds of nationalists in Turkey protested early this month over news that Communist Party members, civil servants, students and teachers in Xinjiang were told not to observe the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan
It also follows the violent protest against the consulate of Thailand in Istanbul after Bangkok agreed to repatriate about 100 Uygurs to China.
Beijing in return blamed Ankara for undermining China's anti-terrorism efforts, with official media carrying lengthy reports on how Turkish diplomats and businessmen in Southeast Asia helped Uygurs join terrorist groups in Syria with fake travel documents.