After a devastating year of COVID-19 in 2020, now the world has been set on the path of recovery with the help of the vaccine. However, vaccine production is still limited and for now, only a few countries have been able to access it. Given the severity of the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is understandable that countries are eager to get their hands on a potential vaccine. China is actively trying to exploit this desperation of the developing countries. Its latest prey in this regard seems to be Turkey.
China is pushing for the extradition treaty with Turkey to be ratified by the Turkish authorities for handing over wanted persons from the Uighur diaspora living in Turkey to the Chinese authorities. The extradition treaty between China and Turkey was signed back in 2017 during Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Beijing. China recently announced the ratification of the extradition treaty at the National People’s Congress, while the Turkish Parliament is yet to ratify the treaty. Chinese push for ratification from the Turkish side has come at a time when China is due to supply the coronavirus vaccine to Turkey.
A deal between Turkey and Sinovac Biotech was signed for 50 million doses of the vaccine, to be delivered to Turkey in batches. The first batch of 3 million doses was delayed three times over the past three weeks and was finally delivered on 30 December. These delays indicated that the supply of vaccine is being used by China to persuade the Turkish leadership to ratify the extradition treaty at the earliest. It is rightly said that everything that comes from China has a ‘hidden price’.
Historically Turkey has long welcomed Uighur Muslims fleeing China’s oppressive regime, and on some occasions even voiced against China’s treatment of the ethnic minority. But in recent years, Turkey has deepened its ties with China and as a result, has begun to offer more assistance in regards to tracking down and interrogating Uighurs that the Chinese government falsely accuses of terrorism.
Reports have also indicated that residency papers have become harder to obtain for Uighurs in Turkey. Many Uighurs Muslims residing in Turkey have complained that Chinese officials call them over the phone to stop supporting their relatives in East Turkistan, who are voicing their independence from China. During these calls, Chinese officials have also warned that such support would be seen as campaigning against the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and allegedly threatened the lives of their relatives in occupied East Turkistan (Xinjiang in China) if they do not listen to their demands.
Uighur Muslims for decades, under the false accusation by the Chinese government of terrorism and separatism, have suffered from abuses including persecution, forced detention, intense scrutiny, surveillance and even slavery. Over the last few years, the Chinese government and the CCP have accelerated and intensified their prosecution of Uighur Muslims in occupied East Turkistan. China views common everyday activities like practising one’s religion, growing beards, and wearing a veil as problematic. Uighur diaspora living in other countries are too afraid to even contact their relatives back home due to fear that Chinese officials will imprison their family members. Over a million Uighurs are suspected of being detained in concentration camps that China has conveniently labelled ‘vocational training centres’. Within these detention centres, Uighurs are kept under constant surveillance and are even subjected to inhuman forced-labour such as cotton-picking by hand. (Zee News)