Turkey expresses 'expectations and sensitivities' to China over treatment of Uyghurs, says Turkish FM

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Wednesday he conveyed Turkey's "views, expectations and sensitivities" over the Uyghur Muslim ethnic group to Chinese counterpart Wang Yi during talks in Beijing, adding the two also discussed economic cooperation.

China has been accused of facilitating forced labour by detaining around a million Uyghurs and other primarily Muslim minorities in camps since 2016. It initially denied the camps existed, but has since said they are vocational centres and are designed to combat extremism, denying all accusations of abuse.

Many Uyghurs reside in Turkey, with whom Turks share ethnic, religious and linguistic connections. About 50,000 Uyghurs are believed to live in Turkey, the largest Uyghur diaspora outside of Central Asia.

Cavusoglu held talks with Wang Yi in Beijing on Wednesday, amid a rapid succession of diplomatic contacts from China with Gulf countries and Iran.