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1. Turkey vs China
Iakovos Alhadeff
Very interesting article by Business Insider, titled “Anti-China sentiment is
suddenly sweeping over Turkey”, July 2015. The article refers to the attacks
that take place in Turkey against Chinese tourists and Chinese businesses, in
retaliation to the mistreatment of the Uyghur population of China’s Xinjiang
province by the Chinese government. For Xinjiang see following map.

2. The Uyghours are Muslims and constitute approximately 50% of the
Xinjiang population. The Sunni Islamists of the terrorist organization of
“East Turkestan Islamic Movement” operate in Xinjiang. One could assume
that the Islamists of Xinjiang are supported by the Turks, the Arabs and the
Persians (Iranians). The Xinjiang province is of great geopolitical
importance for China, because the pipelines that carry Kazakhstan’s oil and
Turkmenistan’s natural gas to China cross Xinjiang. Moreover the extension
of the new Iran-Pakistan pipeline which is promoted by China and Iran will
have to cross Xinjiang too. Finally one of the two pipelines that were agreed
between Russia and China, the Altai pipeline, will cross Xinjiang too. See
map 2.
Therefore it is very natural for the Arabs, the Turks and the Iranians, but also
for the Americans, to be interested in the Uyghours. The Arabs and the
Iranians care about the Uyghours because they can use them to remind

3. China that she should not forget them when she buys oil and natural gas, but
also in order to cause problems to the Russian pipeline. The Turks care
about the Uyghours because they can use them to ask China for favors, in
exchange for using their influence over the Islamists in Xinjiang. China is
one of the largest global investors, and Turkey definitely craves for Chinese
investments. Finally the Americans care about the Uyghours because they
could be used against China in a potential war between the US and China.
For the article see:
http://www.businessinsider.com/china-turkey-uighurs-2015-7?
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