Türkiye'de Çin Algısı, 1923-1971

Abstract

This study discusses the perception of China among Turkish authorities, within the framework of the documents in the Republican Archives, Turkish Presidency State Archives of the Republic of Turkey, between the years of 1923, when the Republic of Turkey was founded and 1971, when Turkey recognized the People's Republic of China. 1923-1971 is a productive period to examine how the perception in question was shaped by historical accumulation, how the knowledge and political accumulation inherited from the Ottoman period reflected on this perception, and how the social, political, and economic transformations that took place in the two countries played a role in this perception. First, the Ottoman perception of China in the late 19th century will be evaluated and the continuities that passed from this period to the Republic will be traced. Then, how the two countries perceived each other within the framework of diplomatic relations between Turkey and China in the period until 1949, when the People's Republic of China was established, will be discussed. During this period, the relations that developed in the context of the exemplary character of Kemalist modernization are important for the Chinese intelligentsia. Finally, it will be examined how Turkish official authorities view the Chinese region and the governments in the period between the establishment of the People's Republic of China and its recognition by Turkey. In this way, some continuous characteristics of Turkey’s perception of China and continuous topics such as the importance of Chinese Muslims, East Turkestan, and China in terms of relations with Russia are explained. The findings reveal that Turkey did not have a single Chinese policy in this period. As the Turkish foreign policy of the period in question operates within the framework of a particular modernization perspective, the reflections of this process on the Chinese perception are evaluated.