By Ainur Romah JAKARTA, Indonesia
ANADOLU AGENCY - 31 July 2015
Indonesia president says honored at Erdogan's arrival in country, describes discussions as 'open and productive'
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told media during a three-day trip to
Indonesia on Friday that he wanted Turkey to join his host country as a
member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Speaking at a joint press conference in the capital with Indonesian counterpart Joko Widodo, Erdogan said that as G20 members both Indonesia and Turkey needed to mutually benefit from such memberships.
"The Asia Pacific region is increasingly important in the world
economy, and we want to boost cooperation. We also would like to be a
member of the ASEAN," he added.
He invited Widodo to the G20
Leaders Summit in Turkey which will run Nov. 15-16, and highlighted the
importance of MIKTA, (Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea, Turkey, and
Australia) and continuing negotiations.
"Turkish and Indonesian
businessmen should visit each other's countries to discuss investment
opportunities, as well as go together to third countries," Erdogan said.
In a statement released after the meeting, Widodo said that Indonesia
was honored to host Erdogan and described discussions as "open and
productive".
"We emphasized discussions in the area of
economics. We agreed that trade barriers can be solved through a Free
Trade Agreement (FTA), that we do not have. We are targeting [the
completion of an FTA] this year," Jokowi said.
He said the two
had also talked about cooperation in military maintenance, in
boat manufacturing, and in the building of gas power plants.
"We aim to concrete that cooperation immediately," he said.
According to the statement published by detik.com, the two leaders
also agreed to increase tourism and passenger transport from Turkey to
Indonesia and vice versa, with a route planned between Turkey-Kuala
Lumpur-Jakarta-Denpasar.
In addition, it said a joint
commission would be set up to explore the economic potential of
further cooperation between the two countries.
Erdogan, who
touched down on Thursday night after a three-day trip to China,
was accompanied by a delegation of Turkish business leaders and Foreign
Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci, Energy
Minister Taner Yildiz, Health Minister Mehmet Muezzinoglu and Transport
Minister Feridun Bilgin.
On Saturday -- the completion of
Erdogan's official trip -- Cavusoglu will head to Malaysia for the
48th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Kuala Lumpur, which runs
Aug. 1-3.
Prior to the Turkish party leaving, the two countries will participate in a Turkey-Indonesia Business Forum.
Established in 1967 in Bangkok, ASEAN consists of Brunei, Cambodia,
Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and
Vietnam.
According to Turkey's Foreign Ministry website,
institutional relations between Turkey
and the Southeast Asian grouping were initially established in 2010 when
Turkey became a signatory of the ASEAN Treaty of Amity and Cooperation
in Southeast Asia "and thus the foundation of sectoral cooperation was
laid down".
Since then Turkey's embassy in Jakarta has been
accredited to ASEAN as a result of efforts put forward for appointing an
ambassador to the association.
For Turkey to join ASEAN,
admission criteria would have to change as under ASEAN Charter Article
6, Clause 2, headlined Admission of New Members, it states that
membership should only be open to countries located in the "recognized
geographical region of Southeast Asia".
Turkey is around 6,000 kilometers (3700 miles) from closest ASEAN member state Myanmar.
*Anadolu Agency correspondent Satuk Bugra Kutlugun contributed to this story from Ankara
READ MORE...
Friday, July 31, 2015
ERDOĞAN’IN PEKİN ZİYARETİ TÜRKİYE – ÇİN İLİŞKLERİNDEKİ HASARI ONARDI
Zafer KARADAĞ
31 Temmuz 2015, Şanghay
Dünyadaki kalkınmakta olan ülkelere iyi birer örnek teşkil eden ve her ikisi de G20 üyesi olan Türkiye ve Çin arasında 2010 yılında imzalanan stratejik ortaklık anlaşması, iki ülkenin binlerce yıllık ortak tarihinde, yepyeni bir sayfa açılmasını sağlamıştı.
Dünyadaki kalkınmakta olan ülkelere iyi birer örnek teşkil eden ve her ikisi de G20 üyesi olan Türkiye ve Çin arasında 2010 yılında imzalanan stratejik ortaklık anlaşması, iki ülkenin binlerce yıllık ortak tarihinde, yepyeni bir sayfa açılmasını sağlamıştı.
Karşılıklı saygı ve
kazan-kazan ilkesi çerçevesinde; siyasi, ekonomik, askeri, enerji, eğitim, kültürel
ve turizm alanlarında hızla gelişmeye başlayan işbirlikleri sayesinde ortaya
çıkan güven ortamı, karşılıklı yatırımlara ivme kazandırmayı da başarmıştı.
Ancak, aralarında tarihsel
bir dostluk ilişkisi bulunan bu iki ülkenin yakınlaşmasından ve özellikle
Türkiye’nin Şanghay İşbirliği Örgütü’ne “Diyalog Ortağı” olarak kabul
edilmesinden rahatsız olan Türkiye düşmanları, bu güzel gelişmelerin önünü
kesmek için, geçen ay acımasız bir senaryoyu sahneye koydular.
Daha önceki benzer
girişimlerde sadece Milli duygularımızı tahrik ederek başarıya ulaşamayan
karanlık güçler, bu defa işi daha sıkı tuttular ve mübarek Ramazan ayını da
kullanarak, Milliyetçi ve muhafazakar gençlerimizin hem Milli hem de dini
duygularını istismar ettiler ve bazıları yasa dışı olan Uygur derneklerinin
provoke ettiği Uygur kardeşlerimizle birlikte sokağa dökmeyi, maalesef
başardılar.
Çoğu sahte ve abartılı
fotoğraf, video ve bilgilere aldanarak bir akıl tutulmasına yakalanan ve bu
provokasyona alet olan gençlerimizin destek verdiği Çin karşıtı olaylar ve
saldırıya uğrayan Çinli turistler nedeniyle, Türkiye – Çin ilişkileri ciddi bir
hasar gördü.
5 Temmuz’da yayımladığım (http://harclik.net/?p=795)
“İSTANBUL’DAN ESTİRİLEN ZORAKİ UYGUR RÜZGARI KİMLERİN YELKENİNİ DOLDURUYOR?
başlıklı makalemi ve
27 Temmuz’daki (http://harclik.net/?p=827) “CUMHURBAŞKANI
ERDOĞAN’IN YARINKİ ÇİN SEYAHATİ, HEM TURİZM SEKTÖRÜMÜZÜN HEM DE
İHRACATÇILARIMIZIN ÖNÜNE ÖRÜLEN O GÖRÜNMEZ DUVARI AŞMAK İÇİN, TARİHİ BİR
FIRSATTIR!” başlıklı makalemi okuyanlar, benim bu talihsiz olaylar hakkındaki
görüşlerimi ve 11 yıldır Çin’de yaşayan bir işadamı olarak edindiğim tecrübeler
ışığında dile getirdiğim, çözüm odaklı naçizane önerilerimi okumuşlardır.
İşte bu bağlamda
Cumhurbaşkanı Erdoğan’ın Çin’e yapacağı ziyaret, olağanüstü bir önem
kazanmıştı. Çünkü yandaş medyada çıkan, “Erdoğan, Uygurlara yapılan Çin zulmünü
durdurmaya, Çin Hükümetini uyarmaya gidiyor!” (www.yeniakit.com.tr/haber/cumhurbaskani-recep-tayyip-erdogan-zulme-dur-demeye-gidiyor-79286.html)
şeklindeki provakatif haberler, iki ülke arasındaki ilişkilerin düzelmesine
değil, aksine daha derin bir uçurumun açılmasına çanak tutuyordu.
Neyse ki korkulan olmadı ve
sağduyu galip geldi.
Cumhurbaşkanı Erdoğan, Çin
Devlet Başkanı Xi Jinping ile yaptığı görüşmede, Türkiye’nin “Tek Çin”
politikasına verdiği kararlı desteği yineledi ve Uygur meselesi ile ilgili
olarak, Çin’in egemenliğini ve toprak bütünlüğünü kararlılıkla
desteklediklerini belirtti. Erdoğan, “Doğu Türkistan İslamî Hareketi” dâhil
olmak üzere, tüm terör örgütlerinin Çin’i hedef alan faaliyetlerine karşı
çıktıklarını ve Türkiye’de faaliyet gösteren bazı Uygur derneklerinin
geçtiğimiz günlerde kapatıldığını vurguladı.
Erdoğan’ın son derece
başarılı geçen iki günlük Çin ziyareti, hem Türkiye – Çin ilişklerindeki hasarı
onardı, hem de stratejik ortaklık ilişkilerinin geliştirilmesi ve iki ülke
arasındaki ticaret ve yatırım hacminin 2020 yılına kadar 100 milyar Dolar’a
çıkarılması için karşılıklı çabaların artırılması yönünde ortak bir görüş
ortaya koydu.
Özellikle 2014 yılı sonu
itibariyle yaklaşık yüzde 90 oranında dış ticaret açığı (ihracatımız 2,9 milyar
USD, ithalatımız 24,9 milyar USD) verdiğimiz Çin Halk Cumhuriyeti’ne daha fazla
ihracat yapabilmemiz için Çin gümrüklerindeki bazı kısıtlamaların
kaldırılacağına yönelik, umut verici açıklamaların beni heyecanlandırdığını
ifade etmek istiyorum.
Bu ziyaretin görsel ve
yazılı Çin basınının yanısıra, Çin’deki sosyal medyada da olumlu bir yankı
yaratması, Türk turizminde bıçak gibi kesilen Çin rüzgarının yeniden esmeye
başlayacağının da müjdecisi oldu.
Hatırlatmak isterim ki,
Turizm Bakanlığı tarafından açıklanan bu yılın ilk yarısına ait turizm
verilerine bakınca, Avrupa pazarında ciddi bir pazar kaybına uğradığımız
görülüyor. Geçen yılın aynı dönemine kıyasla, Hollanda’dan yüzde 23,
Avusturya’dan yüzde 21 ve Belçika’dan yüzde 12 oranında daha az turist gelmesi,
bu yıl artış bekleyen turizmcilerimizin moralini bozmuştu.
Ancak Haziran ayında %113
oranında artış gösteren ve Ülkemizde yaptıkları harcamalarla Rus turistlerden 3
kat daha fazla döviz girdisi sağlayan (kaynak; TUROB) Çinli turistler,
Erdoğan’ın Çin ziyareti sonrası oluşan bu olumlu hava sayesinde, yeniden
“istikamet, rüyalarımızın ülkesi Türkiye” demeye başlayacaklardır, buna
yürekten inanıyor ve umut ediyorum.
Öte yandan, Çinlilerin bir
Devlet politikası haline getirdikleri “Bir Kuşak-Bir Yol” projesi kapsamında
yer alan küçük, orta ve büyük ölçekli pek çok ortak girişim projesi, Türk ve
Çinli yatırımcıları bekliyor.
Tabii ki benim önceliğim
ihracatımızın artırılmasından yana; “Eyyy ihracatçılarımız! :) Dilimde tüy
bitti, artık lütfedin de, şu devasa Çin pazarına hak ettiği değeri ve önemi
verin!
Rahmetli Özal’ın tabiriyle,
Dünyada bir koyup üç alacağınız tek pazar Çin’dir, çünkü her hangi 3 ayrı ülke
pazarına harcayacağınız emek, zaman ve parayı Çin pazarı için harcarsanız,
karşılığını fazlasıyla geri alırsınız!”
Son söz olarak, ben,
“geçmişten ders almazsak, geleceği doğru planlayamayacağımıza” inanırım.
Hatırlanacağı üzere, 2009
yılında Cumhurbaşkanı Abdullah Gül’ün yaptığı Çin ziyareti sırasında da çok
güzel gelişmeler yaşanmış, iki dost ülkenin liderleri tarafından yapılan
karşılıklı açıklamalar ve imzalanan işbirliği anlaşmaları sayesinde geleceğe
daha umutlu bakar olmuştuk.
Ancak Gül’ün Urumçi’yi
ziyaretinden sadece bir hafta sonra meydana gelen o talihsiz ve kanlı 5 Temmuz
olayları nedeniyle, ilişkilerimiz ağır yara almış ve normale dönmesi de
yıllarımıza mal olmuştu.
İşte bu yüzden, Çin ile
ilişkilerimizde sağduyuyu elden bırakmadan ve benzeri hatalara düşmeden hareket
etmeli ve provakatif olaylara karşı çok daha dikkatli olmalıyız.
Türkiye ve Çin arasındaki
dostluğun ve iyi ilişkilerin gelişmesi, her iki ülkenin ve Ulusun ortak
çıkarına olup, Dünya barışına da katkı sağlayacaktır.
Selam ve sevgilerimle.
Thursday, July 30, 2015
Xi Jinping: China will encourage more companies to invest in Turkey
CCTV.com 07-30-2015
Xi Jinping and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan have attended the Turkey-China Business Forum in Beijing. President Xi says the two countries will prioritize cooperation.
Two areas of particular focus are high-speed railways and new energy, which includes nuclear, wind, and solar. Xi Jinping noted that Chinese firms are helping Turkey build a high-speed rail line connecting the capital Ankara with the country's largest city Istanbul. Xi Jinping says China will expand cooperation in new fields such as aerospace, finance, and investment.
The two countries have a signed currency swap deal, aimed at enhancing financial cooperation. Erdogan says Turkey is an important crossroad across Eurasia, and geographically a major hub in the Silk Road Economic Belt.
Turkey is looking for closer trade links with China. Two-way trade has expanded to the current 24 billion US dollars. A target of 100 billion US dollars has been set by 2020.
"As the world's third largest investor, the Chinese government will continue to encourage more Chinese companies to invest in Turkey. I have seen many Chinese enterprises here. Many of them are very trustworthy and reliable."
"I hope you will seek more opportunities from this business forum and expand cooperation with Turkish companies in various fields. I also hope Turkey will provide a better investment environment for Chinese companies doing business there," Xi said.
READ MORE.....
Xi Jinping and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan have attended the Turkey-China Business Forum in Beijing. President Xi says the two countries will prioritize cooperation.
Two areas of particular focus are high-speed railways and new energy, which includes nuclear, wind, and solar. Xi Jinping noted that Chinese firms are helping Turkey build a high-speed rail line connecting the capital Ankara with the country's largest city Istanbul. Xi Jinping says China will expand cooperation in new fields such as aerospace, finance, and investment.
The two countries have a signed currency swap deal, aimed at enhancing financial cooperation. Erdogan says Turkey is an important crossroad across Eurasia, and geographically a major hub in the Silk Road Economic Belt.
Turkey is looking for closer trade links with China. Two-way trade has expanded to the current 24 billion US dollars. A target of 100 billion US dollars has been set by 2020.
"As the world's third largest investor, the Chinese government will continue to encourage more Chinese companies to invest in Turkey. I have seen many Chinese enterprises here. Many of them are very trustworthy and reliable."
"I hope you will seek more opportunities from this business forum and expand cooperation with Turkish companies in various fields. I also hope Turkey will provide a better investment environment for Chinese companies doing business there," Xi said.
READ MORE.....
“Çin ile İlişkilerimize Stratejik Açıdan Bakıyoruz”
TCCB - 29.07.2015
Çin Halk Cumhuriyeti Devlet Başkanı Şi Jinping ile birlikte Büyük Halk Salonu'nda gerçekleştirilen heyetler arası görüşmeye katılan Cumhurbaşkanı Erdoğan, “Bu ziyaret, aramızdaki karşılıklı güven ve anlayışın güçlenmesine, halklarımız arasındaki dostluğun pekişmesine hizmet edecektir” dedi.
Cumhurbaşkanı Erdoğan, heyetler arası görüşmenin basına açık bölümünde yaptığı konuşmasına, "Üç yıl sonra Pekin’i ziyaret etmekten büyük bir memnuniyet duyuyorum. Buraya gelişimizden itibaren şahsıma ve tüm heyetime gösterilen yakın ilgi ve misafirperverlikten dolayı tekrar teşekkür ediyorum" sözleri ile başladı.
İki ülke arasındaki diplomatik ilişkilerin 45. yıl dönümünde olduğunu, 2010 yılında atılan adımlarla stratejik iş birliği safhasına gelindiğini ve bu safhanın da uygulama döneminde olunduğunu hatırlatan Cumhurbaşkanı Erdoğan, “Dolayısıyla biz Çin ile ilişkilerimize stratejik açıdan bakıyoruz. Bu ziyaret, aramızdaki karşılıklı güven ve anlayışın güçlenmesine, halklarımız arasındaki dostluğun pekişmesine hizmet edecektir. Sizlerin de hassas olduğu belli konularda duyarlı ve iş birliği içinde hareket etmeye bugüne kadar özen gösterdik ve gösteriyoruz" dedi.
İKİ ÜLKE ARASINDA İMZALANAN ANLAŞMALAR
Çin Halk Cumhuriyeti Devlet Başkanı Şi Jinping de ülkelerini üç kez ziyaret ettiğini hatırlatarak bu ziyaretlerin, Cumhurbaşkanı Erdoğan’ın Türk-Çin ilişkilerine verdiği önemi gösterdiğini belirtti. Başkan Jinping konuşmasında Türk-Çin ilişkilerinin yönünü belirlemeyi, içeriğinin genişletmeyi ve zenginleştirmeyi temenni ettiğini söyledi.
Cumhurbaşkanı Erdoğan ve Başkan Jinping’in katıldığı heyetler arası görüşmelerinden sonra iki ülke arasında anlaşma ve mutabakatların imzalandığı törene geçildi. Heyetler arası görüşme ve imza töreninde; Dışişleri Bakanı Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, Ekonomi Bakanı Nihat Zeybekci, Enerji ve Tabii Kaynaklar Bakanı Taner Yıldız, Sağlık Bakanı Mehmet Müezzinoğlu ile Ulaştırma, Denizcilik ve Haberleşme Bakanı Feridun Bilgin de hazır bulundu.
CUMHURBAŞKANI ERDOĞAN ONURUNA AKŞAM YEMEĞİ
İmza töreninin ardından Cumhurbaşkanı Erdoğan, Devlet Başkanı Şi Jinping tarafından onuruna verilen resmî akşam yemeğine katıldı. Yemekte Cumhurbaşkanı Erdoğan’a, eşi Emine Erdoğan ve beraberindeki bakanlar da eşlik etti.
Cumhurbaşkanı Erdoğan, heyetler arası görüşmenin basına açık bölümünde yaptığı konuşmasına, "Üç yıl sonra Pekin’i ziyaret etmekten büyük bir memnuniyet duyuyorum. Buraya gelişimizden itibaren şahsıma ve tüm heyetime gösterilen yakın ilgi ve misafirperverlikten dolayı tekrar teşekkür ediyorum" sözleri ile başladı.
İki ülke arasındaki diplomatik ilişkilerin 45. yıl dönümünde olduğunu, 2010 yılında atılan adımlarla stratejik iş birliği safhasına gelindiğini ve bu safhanın da uygulama döneminde olunduğunu hatırlatan Cumhurbaşkanı Erdoğan, “Dolayısıyla biz Çin ile ilişkilerimize stratejik açıdan bakıyoruz. Bu ziyaret, aramızdaki karşılıklı güven ve anlayışın güçlenmesine, halklarımız arasındaki dostluğun pekişmesine hizmet edecektir. Sizlerin de hassas olduğu belli konularda duyarlı ve iş birliği içinde hareket etmeye bugüne kadar özen gösterdik ve gösteriyoruz" dedi.
İKİ ÜLKE ARASINDA İMZALANAN ANLAŞMALAR
Çin Halk Cumhuriyeti Devlet Başkanı Şi Jinping de ülkelerini üç kez ziyaret ettiğini hatırlatarak bu ziyaretlerin, Cumhurbaşkanı Erdoğan’ın Türk-Çin ilişkilerine verdiği önemi gösterdiğini belirtti. Başkan Jinping konuşmasında Türk-Çin ilişkilerinin yönünü belirlemeyi, içeriğinin genişletmeyi ve zenginleştirmeyi temenni ettiğini söyledi.
Cumhurbaşkanı Erdoğan ve Başkan Jinping’in katıldığı heyetler arası görüşmelerinden sonra iki ülke arasında anlaşma ve mutabakatların imzalandığı törene geçildi. Heyetler arası görüşme ve imza töreninde; Dışişleri Bakanı Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, Ekonomi Bakanı Nihat Zeybekci, Enerji ve Tabii Kaynaklar Bakanı Taner Yıldız, Sağlık Bakanı Mehmet Müezzinoğlu ile Ulaştırma, Denizcilik ve Haberleşme Bakanı Feridun Bilgin de hazır bulundu.
CUMHURBAŞKANI ERDOĞAN ONURUNA AKŞAM YEMEĞİ
İmza töreninin ardından Cumhurbaşkanı Erdoğan, Devlet Başkanı Şi Jinping tarafından onuruna verilen resmî akşam yemeğine katıldı. Yemekte Cumhurbaşkanı Erdoğan’a, eşi Emine Erdoğan ve beraberindeki bakanlar da eşlik etti.
Cfp: CHINA IN THE MIDDLE EAST: Neoliberalism with Chinese Characteristics and Political Transformations in the Middle East DOHA, QATAR MARCH 23 AND 24, 2016
Call for Papers:
2ND ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL
CONFERENCE:
CHINA IN THE MIDDLE EAST:
Neoliberalism with Chinese
Characteristics and Political Transformations in the Middle East
DOHA, QATAR
MARCH 23 AND 24, 2016
ORGANIZERS:
The
College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) at Qatar University, Ottoman and Modern Turkish Studies and Department
of Central Eurasian Studies Indiana University, Center for Turkish Studies, Shanghai
University and Sociology of Islam Journal (Brill)
The College of
Arts and Sciences (CAS) at Qatar University, Ottoman and Modern Turkish
Studies and Department of Central Eurasian Studies Indiana University, Shanghai
University and Sociology of Islam Journal invite interested scholars and
advanced graduate students to submit proposals for the conference below. The
event will take place at the Qatar University on MARCH 23 AND 24, 2016.
Please submit a 200-word paper proposal along with your CV to china.middleeast@yahoo.com by Monday November 30, 2015.
ORGANIZATION COMMITTEE
Dr.
Mohammedmoin Sadeq, Qatar University, Qatar
Dr.
Guo Changgang, Center for Turkish Studies, Shanghai University
Dr. Jamsheed
Choksy, Indiana University, USA
Dr.
Kemal Silay, Indiana University, USA
Dr.
Zan Tao, Peking University, People’s Republic of China
Dr.
Tuğrul Keskin, Portland State University, USA
Dr.
Armando Salvatore, McGill University, Canada
Conference communication assistant: Michael McCall, Leiden University - china.middleeast@yahoo.com or Tugrul Keskin tugrulk@vt.edu
Description and
Objectives:
The
increasingly neoliberal economy that has developed since the early 1980s has
led to an emergence of a vibrant middle class in China. This new demographic,
roughly 350-400 million people, began to consume more. This has continued to
shape Chinese Foreign Policy towards oil producing countries, particularly in
the Middle East after Xi Jinping came to power in 2013. One of the first
signs of these changes can be seen in the proposal of a new Silk Road
initiative, introduced by Xi Jinping. Over the last two years, we have seen
the increase of Chinese political and social activities in the region, fueled
by the economic needs for PRC. As a result of this new political strategy, the
PRC started to play a more active role within the Middle Eastern political arena.
Hence, Xi Jinping visited
Pakistan, Egypt, Saudi and Arabia in March 2015. Additionally, Chinese social
and cultural activities began to appear more visibly within the universities
and educational institutions in the Middle East. Hanban Institutes started to open and finance
Confucius Institutes in the region that facilitate Chinese cultural and
language classes and promote mutual understanding between China and the Middle
East. For example these institutes have arisen in Turkey, Israel, Iran, Lebanon,
Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Jordan, UAE, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Morocco. China
has also become one of the largest economic and trade partners with Middle
Eastern states such as Iran, Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt, Israel. Therefore, we
would like to make this academic initiative a permanent conference meeting, and
each year, we will organize a China and the Middle East Conference in different
countries in collaboration with other universities.
We organized a
very successful first academic conference on this topic in collaboration with
Beijing University, on March 17-18, 2015. The conference took place in Beijing
University and 24 papers were presented within six different panels. On the
second day, the newly opened Indiana University Beijing office hosted two panels.
The selected conference proceedings (approximately 6-8) will be published by a
peer-reviewed academic journal, the Sociology of Islam, in the Fall of 2015.
You will find the first conference program at the following homepage:
As a result of
this conference and academic initiative on China and the Middle East, we
established a new academic mailing list on China and the Middle East, hosted by
Virginia Tech University. In our second upcoming conference, we will examine
social, political and economic relations between China and Middle Eastern
states and societies in the context of the neoliberal economy. The conference
proceedings will also be published in the Sociology of Islam Journal (Brill - http://www.brill.nl/sociology-islam).
The second
conference (MARCH 23 AND 24, 2016) will have six different panels and 24
participants.
Participants
are responsible for their travel expenses, accommodation and any other
expenses.
This
is a purely academic conference.
Tentative Program and
Panels’ Titles
Keynote Speech TBA
Conference Program
MARCH 23, 2016
9:00
- 9:30 AM Opening Ceremony
9:00
- 9:15 AM Welcome Speech by Representative of Qatar University
9:15
- 9:30 AM Opening Remarks by Representative of Qatar University
9:45
- 12:00 Panels
1. Panel:
NEOLIBERALISM IN CHINA
2. Panel:
NEOLIBERALISM IN THE MIDDLE EAST
12:00-13:30
PM Lunch
14:00-16:30
PM Panels
3. Panel:
SOCIAL AND POLITICAL CHANGES IN CHINA AND THE MIDDLE EAST IN THE CONTEXT OF
NEOLIBERALISM
4. Panel:
MARCH 24, 2016
9:30-12:00
5. Panel:
CHINESE POLITICAL ECONOMY TOWARD MIDDLE EAST
6. Panel: ENERGY AND SECURITY IN CHINA AND MIDDLE EAST
Closing
Remarks by Dr. Jamsheed Choksy, Indiana University,
USA
Ethnic Tensions in Xinjiang Complicate China-Turkey Ties
By EDWARD WONG
The New York Times - July 28, 2015
BEIJING — For many Chinese, the images coming out of Turkey this month have been ferocious and frightening.
The New York Times - July 28, 2015
BEIJING — For many Chinese, the images coming out of Turkey this month have been ferocious and frightening.
Online video clips and photographs from Istanbul have shown Turkish and ethnic Uighur protesters burning a Chinese flag outside China’s consulate; angry men racing threateningly toward Korean tourists, apparently thinking they were Chinese; and a mostly Uighur mob smashing windows at the Thai Consulate after Thailand sent more than 100 Uighurs back to China against their wishes.
Chinese
might wonder whether this is the same Turkey that has been attracting
their country’s tourists in greater numbers — or, for that matter, the
one that agreed to buy a missile defense system from a Chinese company, or that paid Chinese state-owned enterprises to build a 300-mile high-speed rail line between its two largest cities.
Turkey,
heir to the Ottoman Empire, has long seen itself as a protector of
Turkic-speaking people across the arc of Central Asia — and that
includes the mostly Muslim Uighurs in China’s western region of
Xinjiang, where ethnic tensions and outbursts of violence between
Uighurs and ethnic Han, the dominant group in China, have been rising
because of what Uighurs say is official repression, though Chinese
officials blame terrorist ideology.
China, Turkey pledge mutual support, closer cooperation
English.news.cn | 2015-07-29
BEIJING, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Chinese
President Xi Jinping held talks with his Turkish counterpart Recep
Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday, and they pledged mutual support on issues
of major concern.
The leaders agreed that the two sides should keep in mind the general direction of the bilateral relationship, strengthen political trust and link their development strategies.
China and Turkey, both important members of the G20, face mounting common challenges and obligations against the backdrop of a complex and volatile international situation, a gloomy global economy and grim security situation in West Asia and North Africa, said the Chinese president.
"The two sides should enhance mutual trust and lay a more solid foundation for friendship," Xi said.
Xi said he appreciates President Erdogan's and the Turkish government's stance opposing all forms of terrorism as well as all attempts in Turkish territory to harm China's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
"[China] is willing to boost law enforcement and security cooperation between the two countries," Xi said.
China looks forward to closer communication between legislatures and government agencies of the two countries to ensure their strategic cooperation progresses along the right track, said the Chinese president.
Xi said China stands ready to link the Belt and Road initiative with Turkey's development strategy in pursuit of common prosperity. He also proposed the two sides implement a mid- and long-term plan for trade and economic cooperation between the two countries, which was signed after their talks at the Great Hall of the People.
Xi also hoped for more coordination with Turkey on global economic governance, climate change and other issues to safeguard the common interests of the two nations and other developing countries.
Erdogan, who is making a two-day state visit to China from Wednesday to Thursday, said the Turkish government always looks at ties with China from a strategic perspective and is committed to the development of Turkey-China strategic cooperation.
Turkey is willing to make joint efforts with China to boost cooperation on trade, investment, technology, industry and infrastructure, said the visiting president.
Erdogan stressed that the Turkish government sticks to the one-China policy, supports China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and opposes terrorist activities of the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) aimed at China.
Turkey will boost cooperation with China and will not allow strategic cooperation with China be affected by ill-minded forces, Erdogan said. Turkey is also a victim of terrorism, he added.
The Turkish government will resolutely fight all forms of terrorism and hopes for international society's support, Erdogan said.
Erdogan said China is an important player in the international community and that Turkey is willing to increase communication with China on major international and regional affairs.
Prior to the talks, Xi held a red-carpet ceremony to welcome the Turkish president.
Earlier on Wednesday, Erdogan laid a wreath at the Monument to the People's Heroes in Beijing.
The leaders agreed that the two sides should keep in mind the general direction of the bilateral relationship, strengthen political trust and link their development strategies.
China and Turkey, both important members of the G20, face mounting common challenges and obligations against the backdrop of a complex and volatile international situation, a gloomy global economy and grim security situation in West Asia and North Africa, said the Chinese president.
"The two sides should enhance mutual trust and lay a more solid foundation for friendship," Xi said.
Xi said he appreciates President Erdogan's and the Turkish government's stance opposing all forms of terrorism as well as all attempts in Turkish territory to harm China's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
"[China] is willing to boost law enforcement and security cooperation between the two countries," Xi said.
China looks forward to closer communication between legislatures and government agencies of the two countries to ensure their strategic cooperation progresses along the right track, said the Chinese president.
Xi said China stands ready to link the Belt and Road initiative with Turkey's development strategy in pursuit of common prosperity. He also proposed the two sides implement a mid- and long-term plan for trade and economic cooperation between the two countries, which was signed after their talks at the Great Hall of the People.
Xi also hoped for more coordination with Turkey on global economic governance, climate change and other issues to safeguard the common interests of the two nations and other developing countries.
Erdogan, who is making a two-day state visit to China from Wednesday to Thursday, said the Turkish government always looks at ties with China from a strategic perspective and is committed to the development of Turkey-China strategic cooperation.
Turkey is willing to make joint efforts with China to boost cooperation on trade, investment, technology, industry and infrastructure, said the visiting president.
Erdogan stressed that the Turkish government sticks to the one-China policy, supports China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and opposes terrorist activities of the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) aimed at China.
Turkey will boost cooperation with China and will not allow strategic cooperation with China be affected by ill-minded forces, Erdogan said. Turkey is also a victim of terrorism, he added.
The Turkish government will resolutely fight all forms of terrorism and hopes for international society's support, Erdogan said.
Erdogan said China is an important player in the international community and that Turkey is willing to increase communication with China on major international and regional affairs.
Prior to the talks, Xi held a red-carpet ceremony to welcome the Turkish president.
Earlier on Wednesday, Erdogan laid a wreath at the Monument to the People's Heroes in Beijing.
INTERVIEW: On Uyghur’s in China - Tugrul Keskin
Tugrul Keskin is an Assistant Professor of International and Middle East Studies, and Middle East Studies Coordinator at Portland State University. His research and teaching interests include Sociology of Islam and the Middle East, Sociology of Africa (Imperialism and Re-colonization in Africa after 1950s), Modern Kurdish, Uyghur and Turkish Nationalism. We talk with Mr Keskin on Uyghurs in Chine.By Nilgün Kılıç
SBS Australia Radio - 30 July 2015
LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW.......
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
Chinese Premier Meets Turkish President on Ties
Xinhua - July 29, 2015
BEIJING, July 29 -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang met with visiting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday, urging enhanced political trust and accommodation of each other's key concerns.
China attaches great importance to its substantial cooperation with Turkey, Li told Erdogan at the Great Hall of the People.
He urged both sides to give full play to the bilateral cooperation committee at the vice premier's level, to coordinate cooperation in such areas as politics, trade and culture.
China hopes to strengthen cooperation with Turkey in such areas as new energy, light manufacturing, communication and infrastructure, including railway, to boost balanced trade, Li said. He also called for stronger cooperation in aviation, aerospace and finance, urging Turkey to offer convenience and support for Chinese investment.
Erdogan told Li Turkey has a strong desire and clear target to enhance ties with China, and hopes to further upgrade bilateral trade.
He welcomed China's expanded investment and cooperation with Turkey in areas including infrastructure building, energy, communication, finance, aviation and project contracting.
Turkey expects to become a manufacturing and logistics base for Chinese enterprises, and hopes to explore the third-party market with China, he said.
Invited by Chinese President Xi Jinping, Erdogan is on a state visit to China on Wednesday and Thursday. It is his first visit to China since he took office in August, 2014.
READ MORE....
China attaches great importance to its substantial cooperation with Turkey, Li told Erdogan at the Great Hall of the People.
He urged both sides to give full play to the bilateral cooperation committee at the vice premier's level, to coordinate cooperation in such areas as politics, trade and culture.
China hopes to strengthen cooperation with Turkey in such areas as new energy, light manufacturing, communication and infrastructure, including railway, to boost balanced trade, Li said. He also called for stronger cooperation in aviation, aerospace and finance, urging Turkey to offer convenience and support for Chinese investment.
Erdogan told Li Turkey has a strong desire and clear target to enhance ties with China, and hopes to further upgrade bilateral trade.
He welcomed China's expanded investment and cooperation with Turkey in areas including infrastructure building, energy, communication, finance, aviation and project contracting.
Turkey expects to become a manufacturing and logistics base for Chinese enterprises, and hopes to explore the third-party market with China, he said.
Invited by Chinese President Xi Jinping, Erdogan is on a state visit to China on Wednesday and Thursday. It is his first visit to China since he took office in August, 2014.
READ MORE....
President Erdoğan Visits Monument to the People’s Heroes in China
Upon their arrival at the monument, the First Couple and their accompanying delegation were welcomed by Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Zhang Ming of the People’s Republic of China and other officials. After the Turkish and Chinese national anthems were played, President Erdoğan laid a wreath at the monument. Following the ceremony, President Erdoğan met with Premier Li Keqiang of the People’s Republic of China. The meeting took place at the National People’s Congress.
Afterwards, President Erdoğan and his accompanying delegation proceeded to the Great Hall of the People. President Erdoğan and First Lady Emine Erdoğan were welcomed with an official ceremony by President Xi Jinping and First Lady Peng Liyuan. The Turkish and Chinese national anthems were played and a 21-gun salute was fired. Ministers, accompanying President Erdoğan, were also present at the ceremony.
READ MORE....
What to expect from Erdoğan’s China visit
By Altay Atli
ASIA TIMES - July 29, 2015
Relations between Turkey and China have been going through a sour period recently.
Media reports on Chinese government’s decision to ban Ramadan fasting for public servants, teachers and students in Xinjiang caused public outrage in Turkey, which was further fuelled through disinformation spreading through social media.
Many in Turkey expressed distaste with China’s policies, a number of demonstrations were held, which in some cases turned violent. Turkey’s Foreign Ministry summoned the Chinese ambassador in Ankara to express concerns about the developments in Xinjiang, and China in turn expressed its own concerns about Ankara’s stance on the issue.
In the meantime, allegations were brought up about Turkish diplomats in Asia providing travel documents to illegal Uyghur migrants to facilitate their journey to Turkey. Reports about Uyghurs using Turkey as a gateway into Syria where they joined the jihadists made matters even more complicated.
READ MORE....
ASIA TIMES - July 29, 2015
Relations between Turkey and China have been going through a sour period recently.
Media reports on Chinese government’s decision to ban Ramadan fasting for public servants, teachers and students in Xinjiang caused public outrage in Turkey, which was further fuelled through disinformation spreading through social media.
Many in Turkey expressed distaste with China’s policies, a number of demonstrations were held, which in some cases turned violent. Turkey’s Foreign Ministry summoned the Chinese ambassador in Ankara to express concerns about the developments in Xinjiang, and China in turn expressed its own concerns about Ankara’s stance on the issue.
In the meantime, allegations were brought up about Turkish diplomats in Asia providing travel documents to illegal Uyghur migrants to facilitate their journey to Turkey. Reports about Uyghurs using Turkey as a gateway into Syria where they joined the jihadists made matters even more complicated.
READ MORE....
Inside the six routes out of China for ISIS recruits
WANT CHINA TIMES - 2015-07-29
There are six main routes through which Chinese Islamist extremists are being smuggled out of China to join the "holy war" in the Middle East led by the Islamic State, the brutal jihadist organization also known as ISIS, reports Duowei News, a US-based Chinese political news outlet.
These six paths are said to originate either in northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region, southwest China's Yunnan province, southern China's Guangdong province or Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, and involve multiple transits across several countries before reaching Turkey, the main springboard into Syria and Iraq, where Islamic State controls a large swathe of territory.
Route one begins in the south of Xinjiang and involves crossing the border directly into Pakistan, Afghanistan or the Kashmir region. This route came about because southern Xinjiang's Pishan county has been a breeding ground for religious radicals and is regarded as a major camp for indoctrinating and training new recruits. The street market bombing in the Xinjiang capital Urumqi on May 22 last year, which killed 43 people including four of the assailants, was said to have originated from Pishan.
The second route involves crossing the border to the central Asian nations of Kyrgyzstan or Uzbekistan via the Fergana Valley, which spreads across eastern Uzbekistan, southern Kyrgyzstan and northern Tajikistan. The valley is believed to be rife with terrorist activities due to the lack of government controls and management, and as a result, more and more Xinjiang recruits are reportedly using this path. Last January, Kyrgyzstan border police reportedly shot dead 20 Uyghur stowaways in the valley, just 30 kilometers from the Chinese border.
READ MORE....
There are six main routes through which Chinese Islamist extremists are being smuggled out of China to join the "holy war" in the Middle East led by the Islamic State, the brutal jihadist organization also known as ISIS, reports Duowei News, a US-based Chinese political news outlet.
These six paths are said to originate either in northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region, southwest China's Yunnan province, southern China's Guangdong province or Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, and involve multiple transits across several countries before reaching Turkey, the main springboard into Syria and Iraq, where Islamic State controls a large swathe of territory.
Route one begins in the south of Xinjiang and involves crossing the border directly into Pakistan, Afghanistan or the Kashmir region. This route came about because southern Xinjiang's Pishan county has been a breeding ground for religious radicals and is regarded as a major camp for indoctrinating and training new recruits. The street market bombing in the Xinjiang capital Urumqi on May 22 last year, which killed 43 people including four of the assailants, was said to have originated from Pishan.
The second route involves crossing the border to the central Asian nations of Kyrgyzstan or Uzbekistan via the Fergana Valley, which spreads across eastern Uzbekistan, southern Kyrgyzstan and northern Tajikistan. The valley is believed to be rife with terrorist activities due to the lack of government controls and management, and as a result, more and more Xinjiang recruits are reportedly using this path. Last January, Kyrgyzstan border police reportedly shot dead 20 Uyghur stowaways in the valley, just 30 kilometers from the Chinese border.
READ MORE....
Sino-Turkish relations may deteriorate over Uyghur issue
Sino-Turkish relations could worsen if Ankara refuses to change its view on Uyghur and Xinjiang issues.
Turkish Weekly - July 29, 2015
Sino-Turkish bilateral relations could worsen if Ankara refuses to change its view on Uyghur and Xinjiang related issues, the Chinese Global Times reported Wednesday. Earlier in July, hundreds marched on the Chinese consulate in Istanbul in protest over China’s restrictions on its Uyghur minority, a Turkic Muslim ethnic group living predominantly in Eastern and Central Asia. Turkey has said that it is ready to host Uyghur migrants fleeing persecution in China. On Wednesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit China for the first time in this position. During his visit, Erdogan is expected to discuss with his Chinese counterparts the complex and controversial for parties topic of the Uyghurs, the Global Times said. According to the newspaper, China hopes that Erdogan's visit will be a chance for Beijing and Ankara to improve communication and remove misunderstanding that the Uyghurs are being suppressed in the country.
READ MORE....
Turkish Weekly - July 29, 2015
Sino-Turkish bilateral relations could worsen if Ankara refuses to change its view on Uyghur and Xinjiang related issues, the Chinese Global Times reported Wednesday. Earlier in July, hundreds marched on the Chinese consulate in Istanbul in protest over China’s restrictions on its Uyghur minority, a Turkic Muslim ethnic group living predominantly in Eastern and Central Asia. Turkey has said that it is ready to host Uyghur migrants fleeing persecution in China. On Wednesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit China for the first time in this position. During his visit, Erdogan is expected to discuss with his Chinese counterparts the complex and controversial for parties topic of the Uyghurs, the Global Times said. According to the newspaper, China hopes that Erdogan's visit will be a chance for Beijing and Ankara to improve communication and remove misunderstanding that the Uyghurs are being suppressed in the country.
READ MORE....
Tuesday, July 28, 2015
Heading to China, Turkey's Erdogan eyes improved missile defence bid
REUTERS - Tue Jul 28, 2015
* Turkey chose Chinese firm as preferred candidate
* NATO allies concerned over compatibility
* Diplomatic row over Uighurs hangs over Erdogan visit (Adds quotes, details on bid process)
By Tulay Karadeniz
ANKARA, July 28 (Reuters) - Turkey is open to an improved offer from preferred bidder China in a long-range missile defence system tender, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday ahead of a visit to Beijing, reviving a deal that has raised security concerns among NATO allies.
Erdogan's state visit to China is expected to focus on Turkish trade links with the world's second-biggest economy. But a recent diplomatic spat over the treatment of China's Muslim minority Uighurs will also loom over talks.
NATO member Turkey chose China Precision Machinery Import and Export Corp in 2013 as the preferred candidate for the $3.4 billion deal, stirring U.S. and Western concern about security and the compatibility of the weaponry with NATO systems.
The agreement with China then languished, and Turkey re-opened negotiations with U.S. and European firms over its first-long-range missile defence system. Ankara said China had not met all requirements of the $3.4 billion deal.
"The most suitable bid came from China but certain developments led to delays. We will revisit these matters during this trip. If we receive a proposal that enriches the bid, we will view this positively," Erdogan told a news conference in Ankara before departing for China.
Ankara has given mixed messages on whether it will integrate the system with NATO infrastructure or not.
U.S. and European allies want Turkey to use a system that is compatible with NATO's air defence and because they are worried about inherent security risks from Chinese technology.
* Turkey chose Chinese firm as preferred candidate
* NATO allies concerned over compatibility
* Diplomatic row over Uighurs hangs over Erdogan visit (Adds quotes, details on bid process)
By Tulay Karadeniz
ANKARA, July 28 (Reuters) - Turkey is open to an improved offer from preferred bidder China in a long-range missile defence system tender, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday ahead of a visit to Beijing, reviving a deal that has raised security concerns among NATO allies.
Erdogan's state visit to China is expected to focus on Turkish trade links with the world's second-biggest economy. But a recent diplomatic spat over the treatment of China's Muslim minority Uighurs will also loom over talks.
NATO member Turkey chose China Precision Machinery Import and Export Corp in 2013 as the preferred candidate for the $3.4 billion deal, stirring U.S. and Western concern about security and the compatibility of the weaponry with NATO systems.
The agreement with China then languished, and Turkey re-opened negotiations with U.S. and European firms over its first-long-range missile defence system. Ankara said China had not met all requirements of the $3.4 billion deal.
"The most suitable bid came from China but certain developments led to delays. We will revisit these matters during this trip. If we receive a proposal that enriches the bid, we will view this positively," Erdogan told a news conference in Ankara before departing for China.
Ankara has given mixed messages on whether it will integrate the system with NATO infrastructure or not.
U.S. and European allies want Turkey to use a system that is compatible with NATO's air defence and because they are worried about inherent security risks from Chinese technology.
Turkey’s new high-speed rail: victory for Erdogan – and China
By Rod Sweet
Global Construction Review - 29 July 2014
On Friday, Turkey inaugurated its long-awaited high-speed rail link between Istanbul and Ankara, cutting the 533km journey between the two cities from a typical seven hours to three and a half.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan (pictured) was on board for the maiden voyage and hailed the 250km/h link, which cost $4.1bn, as vindication of his infrastructure policies as he campaigns for re-election ahead of polls next month, on 10 August.
“Despite all the attempts of sabotage, blockade, and slowdown, we completed the line and opened it for service today,” Mr Erdogan said at a campaign stop in the town of Eskisehir. The inauguration of the train link has been beset by hitches and delays, most recently when a train crashed into a maintenance vehicle.
But also claiming victory was China, which is keen to export its high-speed rail know-how – and its project cash – all over the world.
The Ankara-Istanbul link was built by a Chinese-Turkish consortium, which won the bid in 2005. China Railway Construction Corporation, China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation joined with Turkish firms Cengiz Construction and Ibrahim Cecen Ictas Construction.
China also lent Turkey $750m to part-finance the new link, say reports.
READ MORE....
Global Construction Review - 29 July 2014
On Friday, Turkey inaugurated its long-awaited high-speed rail link between Istanbul and Ankara, cutting the 533km journey between the two cities from a typical seven hours to three and a half.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan (pictured) was on board for the maiden voyage and hailed the 250km/h link, which cost $4.1bn, as vindication of his infrastructure policies as he campaigns for re-election ahead of polls next month, on 10 August.
“Despite all the attempts of sabotage, blockade, and slowdown, we completed the line and opened it for service today,” Mr Erdogan said at a campaign stop in the town of Eskisehir. The inauguration of the train link has been beset by hitches and delays, most recently when a train crashed into a maintenance vehicle.
But also claiming victory was China, which is keen to export its high-speed rail know-how – and its project cash – all over the world.
The Ankara-Istanbul link was built by a Chinese-Turkish consortium, which won the bid in 2005. China Railway Construction Corporation, China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation joined with Turkish firms Cengiz Construction and Ibrahim Cecen Ictas Construction.
China also lent Turkey $750m to part-finance the new link, say reports.
READ MORE....
China and Iran's New Love Affair?
By Courtney Bliler
NATIONAL INTERESTS - July 28, 2015
The Iranian nuclear agreement has been welcomed by a number of world leaders as a new chapter in foreign relations with Tehran, largely because sanctions removal will open up new trade and investment opportunities within Iran. While the majority of the P5 + 1 aimed to isolate Iran from the global economy for the last decade, China capitalized on Iran’s estrangement to secure primary positions in both the oil and non-oil sectors of Iran’s economy. Beijing is now placed first in line for Iranian business. More importantly, in the coming years, Tehran could deepen its long-standing relationship with the People’s Republic in the military, cyber, and strategic domains. Beijing will benefit the most from the removal of sanctions. Since China became a net oil importer in 1993, Beijing has turned to Tehran to help satisfy its growing energy needs. Before UN sanctions were imposed, the Islamic Republic was China’s third largest crude oil supplier. In 2011, the People’s Republic imported a record 550,000 barrels per day from Iran. China reluctantly instituted sanctions on Iran, but oil importation continued even when sanctions were in place. In December 2013, reports even stated that the U.S.-sanctioned Zhuhai Zhenrong Corporation was negotiating a new natural gas condensate contract with the National Iranian Oil Company. According to The Wall Street Journal, Beijing’s oil imports from Iran have increased by 30 percent over the last five years and now account for 9 percent of its overall imports.
READ MORE....
NATIONAL INTERESTS - July 28, 2015
The Iranian nuclear agreement has been welcomed by a number of world leaders as a new chapter in foreign relations with Tehran, largely because sanctions removal will open up new trade and investment opportunities within Iran. While the majority of the P5 + 1 aimed to isolate Iran from the global economy for the last decade, China capitalized on Iran’s estrangement to secure primary positions in both the oil and non-oil sectors of Iran’s economy. Beijing is now placed first in line for Iranian business. More importantly, in the coming years, Tehran could deepen its long-standing relationship with the People’s Republic in the military, cyber, and strategic domains. Beijing will benefit the most from the removal of sanctions. Since China became a net oil importer in 1993, Beijing has turned to Tehran to help satisfy its growing energy needs. Before UN sanctions were imposed, the Islamic Republic was China’s third largest crude oil supplier. In 2011, the People’s Republic imported a record 550,000 barrels per day from Iran. China reluctantly instituted sanctions on Iran, but oil importation continued even when sanctions were in place. In December 2013, reports even stated that the U.S.-sanctioned Zhuhai Zhenrong Corporation was negotiating a new natural gas condensate contract with the National Iranian Oil Company. According to The Wall Street Journal, Beijing’s oil imports from Iran have increased by 30 percent over the last five years and now account for 9 percent of its overall imports.
READ MORE....
Egypt Taps Chinese Tourists As Western Visitors Stay Away
From launching new air routes to studying Mandarin, Egypt's tourism industry isn't just standing idly by while post-revolution problems keep American and European visitors away.
Edmund Bower
WORLD CRUNCH - 2015-07-18
CAIRO — Walking around the Egyptian Museum of Cairo, it's hard to imagine that just 10 years ago this world-famous attraction was crawling with foreign visitors. Nowadays, the museum is peacefully quiet, attracting mainly Egyptian school groups. But on this particular day in May, in a large empty hall of the museum, three foreign visitors stand in front of a statue of Hatshepsut. They are from China, and are staying for just four days in Egypt. "We're enjoying our trip," says 27-year-old Long Yen. "We only have four days here, so we want to do as much as we can. This is the first time any of us has been to Egypt, so we want to see everything." Many in Egypt's tourism industry see Chinese visitors like Long as the answer to their prayers. Tourism as a whole plummeted after the revolution, but while sun and sea tourism on the Red Sea has shown signs of a modest recovery, cultural tourism has remained in a slump. It was reported last year that revenue from cultural heritage sites had fallen by 95% since the revolution. The only market for cultural tourism that hasn't shrunk is the Chinese market. Far from decreasing, the number of Chinese visitors is expected to double from pre-revolution levels. Since the year 2000, external Chinese tourism has increased worldwide from 13 million to 165 million per year. During this period, the Chinese share of world tourism has gone from being a relatively small amount to the largest outbound market, thanks to growing prosperity and government policies aimed at stimulating international travel.
READ MORE....
Edmund Bower
WORLD CRUNCH - 2015-07-18
CAIRO — Walking around the Egyptian Museum of Cairo, it's hard to imagine that just 10 years ago this world-famous attraction was crawling with foreign visitors. Nowadays, the museum is peacefully quiet, attracting mainly Egyptian school groups. But on this particular day in May, in a large empty hall of the museum, three foreign visitors stand in front of a statue of Hatshepsut. They are from China, and are staying for just four days in Egypt. "We're enjoying our trip," says 27-year-old Long Yen. "We only have four days here, so we want to do as much as we can. This is the first time any of us has been to Egypt, so we want to see everything." Many in Egypt's tourism industry see Chinese visitors like Long as the answer to their prayers. Tourism as a whole plummeted after the revolution, but while sun and sea tourism on the Red Sea has shown signs of a modest recovery, cultural tourism has remained in a slump. It was reported last year that revenue from cultural heritage sites had fallen by 95% since the revolution. The only market for cultural tourism that hasn't shrunk is the Chinese market. Far from decreasing, the number of Chinese visitors is expected to double from pre-revolution levels. Since the year 2000, external Chinese tourism has increased worldwide from 13 million to 165 million per year. During this period, the Chinese share of world tourism has gone from being a relatively small amount to the largest outbound market, thanks to growing prosperity and government policies aimed at stimulating international travel.
READ MORE....
Saudi Arabia tops list of China’s oil suppliers in 2014
The Asian country aims to pump roughly 19 million barrels to stocks in Qingdao province
AME INFO - 23/07/2015
Saudi Arabia emerges as a reliable producer for oil importers, topping the list of the largest exporters of oil to China in 2014. The kingdom accounted for 16 per cent of China’s imports of crude oil, surpassing Angola, which ranked second with a market share of 13 per cent, while Russia fell to third place with 11 per cent, reports UAE-based Aliqtisadi. Global Energy Group says that Chinese officials have confirmed that their country has moved to the second stage of the strategy of supplying strategic oil stocks with imported crude oil. Chinese officials add that, at this stage, China is aiming to pump roughly 19 million barrels to stocks in Qingdao province, taking advantage of cheap crude flows from producing countries, to fulfil the need of the Chinese economy for crude oil. China’s appetite for crude imports increased during the past ten years, in light of the growing industrial sectors’ consumption, transport and the expansion of investments in the fields of manufacturing and refineries. The country’s imports of crude oil in June reached 7.2m barrels a day, making it the largest importer of oil in the world, as China is racing to fill the strategic crude oil stocks with up to 500m barrels by 2020.
AME INFO - 23/07/2015
Saudi Arabia emerges as a reliable producer for oil importers, topping the list of the largest exporters of oil to China in 2014. The kingdom accounted for 16 per cent of China’s imports of crude oil, surpassing Angola, which ranked second with a market share of 13 per cent, while Russia fell to third place with 11 per cent, reports UAE-based Aliqtisadi. Global Energy Group says that Chinese officials have confirmed that their country has moved to the second stage of the strategy of supplying strategic oil stocks with imported crude oil. Chinese officials add that, at this stage, China is aiming to pump roughly 19 million barrels to stocks in Qingdao province, taking advantage of cheap crude flows from producing countries, to fulfil the need of the Chinese economy for crude oil. China’s appetite for crude imports increased during the past ten years, in light of the growing industrial sectors’ consumption, transport and the expansion of investments in the fields of manufacturing and refineries. The country’s imports of crude oil in June reached 7.2m barrels a day, making it the largest importer of oil in the world, as China is racing to fill the strategic crude oil stocks with up to 500m barrels by 2020.
Israel, China in Talks to Become Major Financial Allies Economics Economics
JEWISH BUSINESS NEWS - JULY 7, 2015
Minister Deri discusses Free Trade Agreement with Chinese Ambassador, as Israel indicates it's focus is shifting to the East.
Israel’s Economy Minister Minister Aryeh Deri met on Monday with the Chinese Ambassador to Israel Zhan Yongxin for the first time to discuss the establishment of a free trade zone between Israel and China. The Chinese Ambassador reiterated his nation’s commitment to begin negotiations for an agreement, as first announced by Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang in March in his report to the National People’s Congress. Both sides stressed their mutual desire to strengthen ties and expand Chinese investments in Israel, which have thus far reached $6 billion. They also agreed that a free trade zone agreement would raise bilateral ties to a new level and bring real economic benefit to both sides. Minister Deri said, that his office will concentrate efforts to promote and expand the trade ties between the two countries and to this end operates various tools to support Israeli companies doing business in China. The Foreign Trade Administration operates five trade attachés across China – two in Beijing – with one who focuses on policy and regulation, one in Guangzhou, one in Shanghai and one in Hong Kong. This number is identical to the number of attachés in the United States and the goal is to continue expanding the distribution of trade missions in China.
Minister Deri discusses Free Trade Agreement with Chinese Ambassador, as Israel indicates it's focus is shifting to the East.
Is China Israel’s last, best hope?
THE JERUSALEM POST - JULY 29, 2015
This past semester about 150 students at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government participated in a student-organized trip called the “Palestine Trek.” The trip, led by Palestinian students at the school, was planned as a tour of the land’s “1948 borders.” The organizers’ apparent goal was to expose participants to the Palestinian perspective on the conflict, if not persuade them of its moral righteousness. Of course, many of those who participated needed no convincing and were already hostile to Israel, while many others who may have begun the journey ambivalent, returned skeptical, if not distrusting, of the Jewish state. Participants heard from a multitude of Palestinian speakers offering a range of views sympathetic to their side of the conflict. The usual anti-Israel arguments were on display. One participant said that they heard almost every day and from every speaker that Israel is an apartheid state. But there were also some less common arguments voiced: a Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement speaker charged Israelis with “milking the Holocaust.” The sole Israeli the students heard from was on the far Right – convenient for painting all Israelis as damnably hostile to Palestinians.
READ MORE....
This past semester about 150 students at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government participated in a student-organized trip called the “Palestine Trek.” The trip, led by Palestinian students at the school, was planned as a tour of the land’s “1948 borders.” The organizers’ apparent goal was to expose participants to the Palestinian perspective on the conflict, if not persuade them of its moral righteousness. Of course, many of those who participated needed no convincing and were already hostile to Israel, while many others who may have begun the journey ambivalent, returned skeptical, if not distrusting, of the Jewish state. Participants heard from a multitude of Palestinian speakers offering a range of views sympathetic to their side of the conflict. The usual anti-Israel arguments were on display. One participant said that they heard almost every day and from every speaker that Israel is an apartheid state. But there were also some less common arguments voiced: a Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement speaker charged Israelis with “milking the Holocaust.” The sole Israeli the students heard from was on the far Right – convenient for painting all Israelis as damnably hostile to Palestinians.
READ MORE....
Turkish President Erdogan to visit China, Indonesia.
ANADOLU AGENCY - 27 July 2015
This will be Erdogan's first visit to China since 2012 ANKARA Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit China between July 28 and July 30 for the first time since 2012, the Turkish Presidency said in a statement Monday. "During the president's meeting with his counterpart, all aspects of relations between China and Turkey will be discussed," the statement said. The statement added that the leaders would exchange opinions on regional and international issues that affect both countries. Diplomatic relations between Turkey and China, which were established in 1971, has improved significantly especially in last 10 years, through mutual high-level official visits. The two countries adopted in 2010 the “Joint Declaration on the Establishment and Development of the Strategic Relationship of Cooperation”. According to the Turkish Foreign Ministry’s official website, the Turkish-Chinese bilateral trade, which surpassed $1 billion in 2000, has constantly expanded and has now surpassed an estimated over $24 billion. According to the program, Erdogan will also meet Chinese Parliamentary Speaker Zhang Dejiang and Prime Minister Li Keqiang. A business forum is also scheduled in Beijing, and some agreements are awaited to be signed between the two countries, the statement added. The China visit follows a diplomatic spat between Beijing and Ankara following the relocation of around 180 Uighur Turks held at detention centers in Thailand to Turkey, and a subsequent sending of 109 Uighur toChina. The Uighur were from a group of around 350 people who had been detained in Thai immigration centers for around two years. The Uighur have been at the center of a diplomatic tug-of-war, with China identifying the Muslims as from northwestern Xinjiang, while Turkey has welcomed them as its own. Turkey has also expressed concerns that Muslims in China have been denied their right to fast during the Ramadan period - a suggestion that China has denied. Following the China visit, Erdogan will also visit Indonesia between July 30 and August 1, the statement said. He will meet Indonesian President Joko Widodo and also participate in the Turkey-Indonesia Business Forum during the visit. According to the Turkish Foreign Ministry’s official website, Turkey and Indonesia aim to reach a trade volume of $5 billion in 2015
Turkish President to Visit China
CRIENGLISH.com - 2015-07-28
This is the first visit to China for Recep Tayyip Erdogan as the Turkish President and the third as the leader of ruling Justice and Development Party. China's special envoy on Middle East affairs Gong Xiaosheng says Erdogan's visit will help boost mutual understanding between the two sides. "Both sides have attached great importance to Erdogan's visit to China. Substantial talks will be held on various areas like trade, culture and tourism during this visit. Special attention will be paid to economic and trade cooperation. China and Turkey may try to explore ways deepen cooperations on transportation, energy and telecommunications, which is conducive to the common interest of both sides." The trade volume between China and Turkey has been over 20 billion dollars since 2012, and China has become the second economic partner for Turkey. Moreover, cultural exchanges between China and Turkey have also been growing quickly in recent years. "China and Turkey jointly celebrated the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. The Year of China in Turkey was held in 2012 and the Year of Turkey in China was held in 2013. Chinese tourists can be seen almost everywhere in Turkey. At the same time, a great number of Turkish people are doing business in China."
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This is the first visit to China for Recep Tayyip Erdogan as the Turkish President and the third as the leader of ruling Justice and Development Party. China's special envoy on Middle East affairs Gong Xiaosheng says Erdogan's visit will help boost mutual understanding between the two sides. "Both sides have attached great importance to Erdogan's visit to China. Substantial talks will be held on various areas like trade, culture and tourism during this visit. Special attention will be paid to economic and trade cooperation. China and Turkey may try to explore ways deepen cooperations on transportation, energy and telecommunications, which is conducive to the common interest of both sides." The trade volume between China and Turkey has been over 20 billion dollars since 2012, and China has become the second economic partner for Turkey. Moreover, cultural exchanges between China and Turkey have also been growing quickly in recent years. "China and Turkey jointly celebrated the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. The Year of China in Turkey was held in 2012 and the Year of Turkey in China was held in 2013. Chinese tourists can be seen almost everywhere in Turkey. At the same time, a great number of Turkish people are doing business in China."
READ MORE.....
China’s Turkish dilemma
BARÇIN YİNANÇ
HURRIYET DAILY - JULY 28, 2015
Turkey’s geopolitical standing is like an oxymoron; it is both a liability and an asset. It is a liability since Turkey is at the heart of one of the most unstable regions in the world. It is an asset, as the very instability of the region makes Turkey a nonexpendable player, provided it maintains its relative stability. That must be the dilemma China probably sees when it looks to Turkey: Is it an asset or a liability in its “March West” strategy? In terms of connecting China to Europe, Turkey stands right on the route of the Silk Road Beijing wants to revive. Compared to its northern and southern neighbors as alternative routes, Turkey maintains a relative stability. Yet, if China was to turn its head towards West today and take a look at Turkey, it would hardly see a bastion of stability. It will see a country where military planes take off to bomb targets in two of its neighbors and internal intelligence memos circulating about possible suicide bombers; in other words, it will see a country that is shaken by a wave of violence, both on its borders and within its borders. Beijing must also see a confused, nearly berserk country when it takes a look at the Turkish policies on China. In view of Turkish criticism of the Uighur issue, it must see a country throwing stones at others while it lives in a glass home. “How can Turkey be so careless in its criticism on the Uighur issue when it has its own separatist terrorism problem?” the Chinese must be asking. They must be confused in what they might see as an “arrogant courage.” “How can they dare to bully us when they are so dependent on us, as they import intermediate goods, the backbone of their exports?” they might wonder.
READ MORE...
HURRIYET DAILY - JULY 28, 2015
Turkey’s geopolitical standing is like an oxymoron; it is both a liability and an asset. It is a liability since Turkey is at the heart of one of the most unstable regions in the world. It is an asset, as the very instability of the region makes Turkey a nonexpendable player, provided it maintains its relative stability. That must be the dilemma China probably sees when it looks to Turkey: Is it an asset or a liability in its “March West” strategy? In terms of connecting China to Europe, Turkey stands right on the route of the Silk Road Beijing wants to revive. Compared to its northern and southern neighbors as alternative routes, Turkey maintains a relative stability. Yet, if China was to turn its head towards West today and take a look at Turkey, it would hardly see a bastion of stability. It will see a country where military planes take off to bomb targets in two of its neighbors and internal intelligence memos circulating about possible suicide bombers; in other words, it will see a country that is shaken by a wave of violence, both on its borders and within its borders. Beijing must also see a confused, nearly berserk country when it takes a look at the Turkish policies on China. In view of Turkish criticism of the Uighur issue, it must see a country throwing stones at others while it lives in a glass home. “How can Turkey be so careless in its criticism on the Uighur issue when it has its own separatist terrorism problem?” the Chinese must be asking. They must be confused in what they might see as an “arrogant courage.” “How can they dare to bully us when they are so dependent on us, as they import intermediate goods, the backbone of their exports?” they might wonder.
READ MORE...
Another Shoe Drops in the Turkish “Passports for Uyghurs” Case
CHINA MATTERS - Monday, July 20, 2015
Evidence keeps accummulating that a clandestine Turkish government program to enable Uyghur emigration from the PRC--for motives either noble, sinister, or both--has turned into a major security cock-up, embarrassment for Turkey, and a serious issue in PRC-Turkish relations. I wrote this on July 11 on the occasion of the forcible repatriation of over one hundred Uyghur men from Thailand to the PRC amid PRC allegations that the Turkish government, in addition to providing diplomatic and consular support to the Uyghurs, had crossed a line by providing fake travel documents: Please note that the PRC Foreign Ministry, as well as Global Times, were already raising the passport issue at the beginning of 2015. First the PRC employed the polite fiction that some profit-minded freelancers were selling Turkish passports to Uyghurs; then it was “consulates and embassies of unnamed countries” were dishing out documents; now, unambiguously, the PRC is pointed the finger at the Turkish government. … The only remaining grey area is whether all the Uyghur men who end up in Syria are simply hapless “cannon fodder” recruited by jihadis, or whether the Turkish security services identify some particularly capable Uyghur militants, provide documents, and enable travel, training, and battlefield experience in Syria in order to cultivate Turkey-friendly assets in Syria or potentially in AfPak/Central Asia. Might never get to the bottom of that one, unless the PRC decides to crank up the evidentiary apparatus another notch in order to make sure Western journos finally get the point. The PRC is busy fleshing out this story, and added the new wrinkle that the Turkish scheme had facilitated terrorist activities within the PRC. The PRC has embarked on a major push to justify its insistence on what the West has condemned as the refoulement of Uyghur refugees, to allege that the Uyghurs who left the country were not political refugees protected by the principle of non-refoulement; instead, they were illegal emigrants, candidate militants seeking participation in jihad.
READ MORE....
Evidence keeps accummulating that a clandestine Turkish government program to enable Uyghur emigration from the PRC--for motives either noble, sinister, or both--has turned into a major security cock-up, embarrassment for Turkey, and a serious issue in PRC-Turkish relations. I wrote this on July 11 on the occasion of the forcible repatriation of over one hundred Uyghur men from Thailand to the PRC amid PRC allegations that the Turkish government, in addition to providing diplomatic and consular support to the Uyghurs, had crossed a line by providing fake travel documents: Please note that the PRC Foreign Ministry, as well as Global Times, were already raising the passport issue at the beginning of 2015. First the PRC employed the polite fiction that some profit-minded freelancers were selling Turkish passports to Uyghurs; then it was “consulates and embassies of unnamed countries” were dishing out documents; now, unambiguously, the PRC is pointed the finger at the Turkish government. … The only remaining grey area is whether all the Uyghur men who end up in Syria are simply hapless “cannon fodder” recruited by jihadis, or whether the Turkish security services identify some particularly capable Uyghur militants, provide documents, and enable travel, training, and battlefield experience in Syria in order to cultivate Turkey-friendly assets in Syria or potentially in AfPak/Central Asia. Might never get to the bottom of that one, unless the PRC decides to crank up the evidentiary apparatus another notch in order to make sure Western journos finally get the point. The PRC is busy fleshing out this story, and added the new wrinkle that the Turkish scheme had facilitated terrorist activities within the PRC. The PRC has embarked on a major push to justify its insistence on what the West has condemned as the refoulement of Uyghur refugees, to allege that the Uyghurs who left the country were not political refugees protected by the principle of non-refoulement; instead, they were illegal emigrants, candidate militants seeking participation in jihad.
READ MORE....
Illegal migrants' failed dreams of "heavenly life"
English.news.cn 2015-07-18
BEIJING, July 18 (Xinhua) -- They have tried to migrate illegally in pursuit of a "heavenly life" or "jihad." Some have even planned terrorist attacks in China.
All have found a reality totally different from their dreams.
China Central Television broadcast a program on Saturday about illegal migrants repatriated home by Chinese authorities.
Some have returned to normal life, while others are in custody for suspected crimes. But all are rethinking what they have heard from those who promised them the "heavenly life."
LIES AND NEW HOPE
Fruit farmer Mehmut is now busy managing the apple and pear trees on his orchard, which covers 6,667 square meters in Aksu, in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
Now most of his work is finished and he just needs to fertilize the trees twice in October. Mehmut said the orchard could bring him 100,000 yuan (16,110 U.S. dollars) this year.
Two years ago, things were totally different.
Mehmut was caught while illegally migrating and repatriated to Xinjiang. An investigation showed he was coerced and deceived into migrating.
READ MORE....
BEIJING, July 18 (Xinhua) -- They have tried to migrate illegally in pursuit of a "heavenly life" or "jihad." Some have even planned terrorist attacks in China.
All have found a reality totally different from their dreams.
China Central Television broadcast a program on Saturday about illegal migrants repatriated home by Chinese authorities.
Some have returned to normal life, while others are in custody for suspected crimes. But all are rethinking what they have heard from those who promised them the "heavenly life."
LIES AND NEW HOPE
Fruit farmer Mehmut is now busy managing the apple and pear trees on his orchard, which covers 6,667 square meters in Aksu, in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
Now most of his work is finished and he just needs to fertilize the trees twice in October. Mehmut said the orchard could bring him 100,000 yuan (16,110 U.S. dollars) this year.
Two years ago, things were totally different.
Mehmut was caught while illegally migrating and repatriated to Xinjiang. An investigation showed he was coerced and deceived into migrating.
READ MORE....
Turkish help for Uighur refugees looms over Erdogan visit to Beijing
ISTANBUL | By Humeyra Pamuk
REUTERS - Mon Jul 27, 2015
The folded piece
of paper with a photo of a four-month-old baby tells a story that will
loom over Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and his Chinese hosts when he
visits Beijing this week.
Baby Arife is a Uighur, one of thousands of members of China’s Turkic language-speaking Muslim ethnic minority who have reached Turkey, mostly since last year, infuriating Beijing, which accuses Ankara of helping its citizens flee unlawfully.
Turkish officials deny playing any direct role in assisting the flight. But the document, labeled "Republic of Turkey Emergency Alien's Travel Document" suggests otherwise.
Arife's mother, Summeye, 35, says she was given it, along with documents for herself and her three other children, by a diplomat at the Turkish embassy in Kuala Lumpur, which she reached after a nine day journey transported by people smugglers through Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand.
The document, valid only for travel to Turkey, lists the baby's place of birth as Turpan, a city in China's western Xinjiang region. Under "nationality", it says "East Turkestan", the name Uighur activists and their Turkish supporters give for their Chinese-ruled homeland.
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REUTERS - Mon Jul 27, 2015
Baby Arife is a Uighur, one of thousands of members of China’s Turkic language-speaking Muslim ethnic minority who have reached Turkey, mostly since last year, infuriating Beijing, which accuses Ankara of helping its citizens flee unlawfully.
Turkish officials deny playing any direct role in assisting the flight. But the document, labeled "Republic of Turkey Emergency Alien's Travel Document" suggests otherwise.
Arife's mother, Summeye, 35, says she was given it, along with documents for herself and her three other children, by a diplomat at the Turkish embassy in Kuala Lumpur, which she reached after a nine day journey transported by people smugglers through Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand.
The document, valid only for travel to Turkey, lists the baby's place of birth as Turpan, a city in China's western Xinjiang region. Under "nationality", it says "East Turkestan", the name Uighur activists and their Turkish supporters give for their Chinese-ruled homeland.
READ MORE....
Uyghur Issues Cast Pall Over Turkey-China Relations
Just as Turkish President Erdogan heads to Beijing, Uyghur issues are causing anger in the bilateral relationship.
By Shannon Tiezzi
The Diplomat - July 28, 2015
A recent Reuters report highlights what has become a thorny issue in China-Turkey relations: evidence that Turkish diplomats in Southeast Asia are providing travel documents to Chinese Uyghurs, facilitating their journeys to Turkey over Chinese objections. The issue threatens to overshadow Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Beijing this week.
A number of Uyghurs currently living in Istanbul told Reuters that they had been given travel documents by Turkish embassy workers based in Southeast Asia, particularly Malaysia. China is adamant that Uyghurs who leave China illegally must be returned to the country; Turkish diplomats helping them would be a major scandal in China-Turkey relationship. Making matters more complicated, Uyghurs detained in Southeast Asian countries often claim to be from Turkey to avoid being deported to China.
A separate story published earlier this month by China’s Xinhua tells a similar tale: a Uyghur is smuggled out of China and told to claim to be Turkish if arrested. Upon reaching the Turkish embassy in Malaysia, he and other are given identification documents from the embassy, which allowed them to travel to Turkey.
Adding what China will view as a grave insult to the existing injury, one of the travel documents viewed by Reuters listed a Uyghur child’s nationality as “East Turkestan,” a name used by Uyghur activists to refer to their homeland as a separate state. In China, the name is associated not only with separatism but with terrorism—as in, the East Turkestan Islamic Movement.
The dark side of the Uyghur documents scandal, as the China Matters blog noted, is what happens to the migrants after they arrive in Turkey. Some then travel to Syria to join the fighting, including linking up with Islamic State. China claims to have arrested Uyghurs trained abroad who then returned to China with the intention of carrying out terrorist attacks.
READ MORE....
By Shannon Tiezzi
The Diplomat - July 28, 2015
A recent Reuters report highlights what has become a thorny issue in China-Turkey relations: evidence that Turkish diplomats in Southeast Asia are providing travel documents to Chinese Uyghurs, facilitating their journeys to Turkey over Chinese objections. The issue threatens to overshadow Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Beijing this week.
A number of Uyghurs currently living in Istanbul told Reuters that they had been given travel documents by Turkish embassy workers based in Southeast Asia, particularly Malaysia. China is adamant that Uyghurs who leave China illegally must be returned to the country; Turkish diplomats helping them would be a major scandal in China-Turkey relationship. Making matters more complicated, Uyghurs detained in Southeast Asian countries often claim to be from Turkey to avoid being deported to China.
A separate story published earlier this month by China’s Xinhua tells a similar tale: a Uyghur is smuggled out of China and told to claim to be Turkish if arrested. Upon reaching the Turkish embassy in Malaysia, he and other are given identification documents from the embassy, which allowed them to travel to Turkey.
Adding what China will view as a grave insult to the existing injury, one of the travel documents viewed by Reuters listed a Uyghur child’s nationality as “East Turkestan,” a name used by Uyghur activists to refer to their homeland as a separate state. In China, the name is associated not only with separatism but with terrorism—as in, the East Turkestan Islamic Movement.
The dark side of the Uyghur documents scandal, as the China Matters blog noted, is what happens to the migrants after they arrive in Turkey. Some then travel to Syria to join the fighting, including linking up with Islamic State. China claims to have arrested Uyghurs trained abroad who then returned to China with the intention of carrying out terrorist attacks.
READ MORE....
Sunday, July 26, 2015
Conference: SILK ROADS, MUSLIM PASSAGES: THE ISLAM QUESTION IN CHINA’S EXPANSION 29-30 JULY 2015
Asia Research Institute,
ARI Seminar Room
Tower Block Level 10
National University of Singapore
Bukit Timah Campus, 469A Bukit Timah Road, Singapore 259770
You will find the conference information at the following homepage:
http://www.ari.nus.edu.sg/upload/events-pdf/20150729_SilkRoads_CW.pdf
Best to all,
Tugrul
Istanbul, 2015
ARI Seminar Room
Tower Block Level 10
National University of Singapore
Bukit Timah Campus, 469A Bukit Timah Road, Singapore 259770
You will find the conference information at the following homepage:
http://www.ari.nus.edu.sg/upload/events-pdf/20150729_SilkRoads_CW.pdf
Best to all,
Tugrul
Istanbul, 2015
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