Turkey Unrest: China Says Xinjiang Has No ‘ethnic problem’

In a public protest against the treatment of Uighur people who have their origin from ancient Turkey, China has debunked the claim of the people as void. The campaign which took place in Turkey carried banners and posters of the unjustly treatment of the small populace of Uighur people of China who have suffered marginalization because of Islamic religion.

Relations between China and Turkey have soured over Beijing’s policies toward the Uighur people, whose traditional home is in the far western region of Xinjiang. Many Turks see themselves as sharing religious and cultural ties with Uighurs, who have reportedly been banned from worship and fasting during the holy month of Ramadan.

“Uighurs live and work in peace and contentment and enjoy freedom of religion under the rules in the constitution,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters at a regular briefing. “So the so-called ‘Xinjiang ethnic problem’ you mentioned that has been raised in some reports simply does not exist.”

Hundreds of protesters marched on the Chinese consulate in Istanbul on Sunday, bearing flags and chanting anti-China slogans outside the building.

Turkey vowed last week to keep its doors open to Uighur migrants fleeing persecution in China. Turkey has also irked China by expressing concern over the reports of restrictions on Uighurs during Ramadan.