Turkey backs China crackdown on Uyghur militants

In a major boost to its crackdown against separatists in Xinjiang, China on Wednesday won the support of Turkey as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country will not allow Uyghur extremists to operate from its soil.

Visiting Beijing in the immediate backdrop of the offensive against the Islamic State (IS) in Syria and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), Erdogan assured his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Wednesday that Turkey is opposed to any forms of terrorism against China and any acts of sabotage affecting China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. “Turkey is opposed to East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) attacks against China. Turkey will not allow extremist and terrorist groups to affect relations with China,” state- run CCTV quoted Erdogan as telling Xi during their talks.

Erdogan’s remarks against ETIM, the Uyghur separatist outfit which has carried out deadly attacks in Xinjiang and other cities including Beijing in recent years, are seen as a boost to China’s crackdown against the militants.