TURKEY: China's leader-in-waiting Xi Jinping visits Turkey in a recognition of Ankara's growing global economic and diplomatic clout

Record ID: 830826

  • Title: TURKEY: China's leader-in-waiting Xi Jinping visits Turkey in a recognition of Ankara's growing global economic and diplomatic clout
  • Date: 22nd February 2012
  • Summary: CHINESE DELEGATION LEAVING VARIOUS OF XI SIGNING VISITOR'S BOOK TURKISH OFFICIALS TURKISH PRESIDENT ABDULLAH GUL GREETING XI UPON HIS ARRIVAL TO PRESIDENTIAL PALACE XI AND GUL SHAKING HANDS AND ENTERING VARIOUS OF UIGHUR TURKS MARCHING AND CHANTING 'Blood for blood! Revenge! Revenge!' PROTESTERS STEPPING ON PICTURE OF XI WRITTEN 'MURDERER' ON IT VARIOUS OF PROTESTER
  • Embargoed: 8th March 2012 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Turkey, Turkey
  • Country: Turkey
  • Topics: International Relations,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVADS29RZFC8BBIBRXZT5N0IZTSC
  • Story Text: China's leader-in-waiting Xi Jinping visited Turkey on Tuesday (February 21), first paying his respects at the mausoleum of Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey, on Tuesday (February 21) before holding talks with Turkish leaders.
    Xi is almost sure to succeed Hu Jintao as China's president in just over a year and Turkey was his last stop on a trip that has taken him to the United States and Ireland.
    The inclusion of Ankara is a recognition of Turkey's growing global economic and diplomatic clout.
    Xi was greeted by Turkish President Abdullah Gul upon his arrival to presidential palace.
    The Chinese leader will also travel to Istanbul in the afternoon to meet Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, who is recovering from an operation.
    On Wednesday (February 22) he is scheduled to attend a business forum in Istanbul, where he is likely to be assailed by exporters eager to try to bridge the gaping trade gap.
    China is Turkey's 15th biggest export market with nearly $2.5 billion of Turkish goods sold there last year, a rise of 8.7 percent.
    But some $21.6 billion worth of Chinese goods were imported to Turkey in 2011, up 26 percent from 2010.
    While the talks carried on, protesters gathered outside Xi's hotel in Ankara.
    Most were Turkish-speaking Uigurs, a minority group predominant in China's northwestern Xinjiang province.
    Rights groups accuse China of abuses during a crackdown on Uighur riots in 2009.
    At the time Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan described the events as "genocide."
    Waving blue and white East Turkestan flags, the protesters burnt a Chinese flag and a poster of Xi before being dispersed by police.
    Muslim Turkey shares linguistic and religious links with Uighurs, and Turkish nationalists see Xinjiang as the easternmost frontier of Turkish ethnicity.
    Thousands of Uighur immigrants live in Turkey.
    Xi has said China had made big strides in addressing the needs of the Uighurs.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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