Erdogan’s China woes: the vaccine and the Uighurs
Turkey’s reliance on China for a COVID-19 vaccine has stirred anxiety in nationalist and Islamist quarters that Ankara might give concessions on the Uighur issue in return.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is facing accusations of bargaining with China on the extradition of Uighur dissidents in return for a COVID-19 vaccine — this on top of criticism that political and economic motives swayed his decision to go for a Chinese vaccine. The accusations were fueled by delays in the delivery of the first batch of vaccines, which coincided with China’s ratification of a 2017 bilateral extradition treaty in late December. The Turkish parliament, currently in recess, is reportedly likely to follow suit in February.
Opposition lawmakers have drawn a link between the vaccine delay and the ratification of the extradition treaty, with some charging that Ankara is under pressure to extradite certain Uighurs in return for the vaccine. The Uighurs have ethnic, linguistic and religious bonds with Turkey, where about 23,000 of them are estimated to have taken refuge.
Ankara had announced that gradual inoculation would start Dec. 11, but the vaccine was not delivered as scheduled. The first shipment arrived Dec. 30 after no less than three postponements, which fanned the controversy over the extradition treaty. The Uighur diaspora launched a vocal campaign against the Turkish parliament’s ratification of the accord, generating support from diverse political quarters. Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu denied any link between the vaccine and the Uighurs, stressing that Ankara had rejected Chinese extradition requests thus far and the treaty did not mean that Turkey “will hand the Uighurs over to China” down the road.
According to two Turkish sources in contact with Chinese officials, Turkey’s vaccine order does provide a convenient ground for Beijing to press for the ratification of the accord, but China’s strategic thinking goes well beyond the Uighurs. Since China is trying to take advantage of the vaccine to win over countries, it is unlikely to hamper the process by throwing in the Uighur issue, the sources believe. Hence, before moving to ratify the deal, China is likely to have received a positive signal from Turkey that it would follow suit.
