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In the Chinese visa form it says

Applicants who were born in Turkey or who have travelled to Turkey must provide an original personal letter. This letter should state the detailed reasons for travel to Turkey and specify the exact date(s) of entry, exit, and duration of the stay(s). Additionally, a photocopy of the Turkey visa (if applicable) and all entry and exit stamps must be provided.

  1. I'm curious why a Chinese visa needs a personal explanation about visits to Turkey.
  2. Would visits to Turkey before China be a negative point when applying for a Chinese visa?
Robert Columbia
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Nayana Adassuriya
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1 Answers1

59

It is because of the political situation in Xinjiang. Extremists in Turkey support the indepence movement in Xinjiang (Uyghur and Turkish are related). The PRC takes a very dim view of such actions, and is clamping down very hard.

China has a record of dealing with countries it's unhappy with by putting them on a shit list, and adding various requirements, sometimes spurious. France is just recovering from such treatment, started in 2008(?) when then President Sarkozy mentioned Tibet.