Turkish PM calls China killings ‘genocide’

The Turkish prime minister has spoken out against ethnic violence in China, describing it as a kind of genocide.

On Friday, there were angry protests in Istanbul following the unrest in China’s Xinjiang province between Muslim Uighurs and Han Chinese.

Turkey shares linguistic and religious links with Uighurs and Turkish premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan, speaking at the G8 in Italy, urged Beijing to address the situation.

“I have used the word ‘atrocity’ before. I am still backing this expression because no other word can describe a situation which is nearly genocide in which hundreds have been killed and more than 1,000 others wounded,” he said.

Germany and Australia also saw large-scale protests against the violence in China.

The rioting in Xinjiang has seen Chinese authorities impose a strict curfew after days of widespread unrest.

On Thursday Turkey’s Industry Minister urged Turks to boycott Chinese goods.

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tags: China, Turkey