Türkiye has unilaterally lifted visa requirements for Chinese citizens, a move that comes amid closer political and economic ties with Beijing and after a year of official actions affecting East Turkistan, what Beijing calls “Xinjiang (New Territory),” and its native peoples.
A presidential decree signed by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and published in the Official Gazette on December 31, 2025, allows holders of ordinary Chinese passports to enter Türkiye visa-free for tourism and transit for up to 90 days within any 180-day period starting on January 2, 2026. The decision is unilateral. Türkiye’s Foreign Ministry says Turkish citizens must continue to obtain visas from Chinese diplomatic missions before travelling to China.
The government has framed the measure as an effort to boost tourism and people-to-people exchanges. The timing follows a series of public statements, regulatory amendments and administrative practices in 2025 that placed Uyghurs from East Turkistan at the centre of domestic debate in Türkiye.
Visa waiver and expanding Ankara–Beijing ties
China’s ambassador to Ankara, Jiang Xuebin, welcomed the visa decision, linking it to the anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
“This is a wonderful gift to mark the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Türkiye,”
— Jiang Xuebin, China’s ambassador to Ankara.
Türkiye’s Culture and Tourism Ministry has said it is targeting one million Chinese tourists annually. Official data show that 248,100 Chinese tourists visited Türkiye in 2023, rising to 409,700 in 2024, a 65.1 percent increase that made China the fastest-growing source market that year.
Trade has expanded in parallel. Official figures show bilateral trade exceeding $48 billion in 2024, though the balance remains heavily skewed. Turkish exports to China totalled $3.4bn, while imports reached $44.9bn.
The visa waiver has also prompted debate over reciprocity. Turkish citizens remain subject to visa requirements when travelling to China, while Beijing has granted visa-free access to nationals of several other countries, including Germany and Azerbaijan.
Turkiye’s deepening ties with China affecting East Turkistan
The visa decision follows public proposals made in February 2025 by Erhan Afyoncu, rector of Türkiye’s National Defense University, who suggested “importing Uyghurs” from East Turkistan to Türkiye as a response to domestic demographic decline. The remarks were widely reported in Turkish media and condemned by the East Turkistan Government-in-Exile as “ethnically cleansing” native Uyghurs from their homeland.
Türkiye’s Presidential Communications Directorate later denied that any formal agreement existed with China on Uyghur resettlement. However, in October 2025, a presidential order amended regulations to allow “foreigners of Turkic origin” to freely practice their professions in Türkiye, a move promoted by pro-government social media accounts, which circulated maps of the so-called Turkic world that omitted East Turkistan.
Developments affecting Uyghurs already in Türkiye have also been documented. In a November report, Human Rights Watch said Turkish authorities have increasingly restricted residence permits for Uyghurs and deported some to third countries despite the risk of onward return to China, citing violations of the principle of non-refoulement.
Concerns over the visa waiver were also raised by Turkish journalist Mehmet Ali Önel.
“This is a one-sided step with limited economic return, and it carries national security risks.”
— Mehmet Ali Önel, Turkish journalist.
The Turkish government has not publicly linked the visa waiver to earlier East Turkistan-related proposals or regulatory changes. The move follows a year of expanded diplomatic, economic, and security engagement between Ankara and Beijing, alongside continued uncertainty over policies affecting East Turkistan and its native peoples.
