The ties between Turkey and China have gone sour in a rare public display recently with the top Turkish diplomat openly saying the progress in the bilateral relations has “slowed down” over Beijing’s treatment of its Uyghur minority. 

“China is disturbed by our position defending the Uyghur Turks’ rights before the international community,” Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was quoted as saying by Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency during a year-end briefing last week.

China is widely accused by human rights organizations of oppressing Uyghurs, one of the country's largest predominantly Muslim minority. Those including Amnesty and Human Rights Watch have accused Beijing of incarnating tens of thousands of Uyghurs in “camps” in Xingiang and resorting to other means in blatant violation of international laws in a bid to strip off the minority from its Muslim identity.

Cavusoglu also lamented Beijing for what he described as impeding the Turkish ambassador’s request to visit the country’s northwestern Xinjiang region, by trying to dictate terms.