China has issued a statement to its citizens in the form of a travel warning from the Chinese embassy in Turkey, cautioning its citizens to be careful of anti-Beijing protests, which have been going on lately in the country. The travel warning furthers cautions that some Chinese tourists have recently been "attacked and disturbed."
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted the statement on its website on Sunday, emphasizing that there had been "multiple" demonstrations in Turkey that had been targeted specifically at the Chinese government.
"Absolutely do not get close to or film the protests, and minimize to the greatest extent outside activities on one's own," the statement said, according to Reuters.
Turkey considers China's treatment of its Muslim population as something extremely important, especially since many Turks consider themselves sharing a common cultural and religious background with the Uyghurs.
The Chinese and Turkish governments have been at odds over China's alleged treatment of the Uyghurs, a largely Muslim ethnic group that resides in China's Xinjiang province. Though China denies any form of discrimination against its Muslim residents, city governments and schools in Xinjiang have required their employees to sign a statement that includes a pledge that places a person's alliance to the Communist Party over religion, reports CNN.
Muhammet Gokce, a 17-year-old protester in Turkey, states that China has no right to persecute Muslims simply because of their faith.
"They (the Uyghurs) are our brothers and are being persecuted for their faith. They did nothing wrong, their only fault is to be Muslim," he said, adding "Turkey should embrace its brothers, should save them from the brutal hands of communist China."
China, however, believes that the protests in Turkey serve nothing more than to stir up trouble. China's foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying has stated that Turkey must "respect China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and to exercise prudence in its words and actions on relevant issues."
