Zhang, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC), said China cherishes its friendship with Turkey and that he expected Erdogan’s upcoming meeting with President Xi Jinping to result in a plan for improving bilateral relations.
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Along with trade meetings, he said that a forum would also be held between local businessmen and those accompanying him from Turkey, with some agreements already waiting to be signed.
Turkish people share deep cultural and religious ties with the China’s Uighur ethnic minority.
Turkish public sentiment has also been inflamed by reports that members of the Uighur minority native to China’s northwest have been restricted in practicing their Islamic faith, particularly during the holy month of Ramadan, which ended in mid-July.
As tensions over the refugees mounted this month, activists stormed the Thai consulate in Istanbul and burnt the Chinese flag outside Beijing’s consulate in the city. Police rescued the tourists.
Prior to the protests, the Turkish Foreign Ministry called in the Chinese ambassador and issued a statement saying the Turkish public was “saddened” by reports of the Ramadan restrictions. Critics have accused Chinese authorities of curtailing the religious rights of Uighurs, but China denies this.
Turkey is hosting this year’s G20 summit while China will do so next year and Erdogan told Xinhua they will discuss issues related to the grouping. The incident sparked violent anti-China protests in Turkey and forced China to warn its citizens in Turkey to take security precautions.
The NPC and the Grand National Assembly of Turkey should adhere to the principle of respecting each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and taking care of each other’s core interests, according to the top legislator.
Thailand has since claimed that it has checked on the welfare of the deported Uighurs and says they are being treated fairly.
Earlier, Erdogan met with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, who affirmed the strength of ties further complicated by Turkey’s closeness with the United States and the ongoing civil war in Syria.
In 2013, Turkey started negotiations with a Chinese state-run company over an anti-missile system contract worth $3.4 billion, which was surprising for Turkey’s North Atlantic Treaty Organisation allies. China reportedly offered the best price and to furnish the technology behind the system. Some observers also fear it could leak alliance military secrets to Beijing.
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“Security and law enforcement cooperation is an important area for the two countries and both have agreed to strengthen cooperation”, Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Zhang Ming told reporters, after President Xi and President Erdoğan met in Beijing.
