It is like an anecdote that a Chinese person says “how can you distinguish people from each other because you (Turks) look quite alike” to a Turkish person. On the other hand Turks really wonder how the Chinese people distinguish people from each other even though the Chinese people look rather alike and they are much more crowded. Moreover, it is not just about the Chinese. It is quite difficult to distinguish most of the Far Eastern people –the Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese people- from each other, because unless you look closer, in other words if you look from a distance, all look alike.

In a TV program a few days ago, as a response to the common secular discourse that claims every woman with headscarf is the same, I tried to express that the problem actually arises from looking at those with headscarves from a distance as if they were foreigners. Otherwise, if they look closer, it will be impossible not to realize how diverse the dressing style with headscarves is. No matter how you slice it, it is a typical indicator of how “foreign” and “distant” the response to headscarf is.  

When the Minister of Foreign Affairs Ahmet Davutoğlu visited China, I frequently remembered this example while thinking about how hard it is for us to realize the big differences aside from small differences because we look China from a distance in every aspect. We strongly need a close look to China which is the second biggest economy after the USA and which will become the first biggest economy after a decade –in 2020- if it continues its growth so that we can see the details about China.

The relations with China whose prime minister was our guest in October, tensed due to the incidents in Urumqi which happened in July, 2009. However, in a short time the relations intensified with the positive attitudes of both Turkey and China. Without a doubt, the financial initiative policies adopted by both countries have serious effect on this situation. The rational attitudes of the government are definitely determiners of the economy of country; yet today it is quite difficult for a government with irrational attitudes to have the power for a long time. Turkey and China are the growing economic and political powers of the world. The initiatives and the growing integration in the world inevitably make both countries much closer to each other.

Just after the incidents in Urumqi, China put an urgent action plan into effect in order to make the national income in Urumqi (which is 50 percent less in comparison to other regions) reach to the level of the national incomes in other regions. According to this plan, by 2020 the national income of the Uyghur will have been equal to the rest of the country. Therefore, China announced the region as the special economic development zone. Thereby, the thesis that opposition in Urumqi is about the economic underdevelopment reminds us the thesis about the Kurds in our country.

 Whether this thesis is supported or not is another matter; but it is an indisputable reality that China’s growing economy forces it to become more rational and more open in every aspect. China feels the need to show itself to the world as a “better” country. And China cares about explaining itself to the world. In other words, with its own words China pays special attention to the public diplomacy. With the public diplomacy, China realizes that in order to express yourself in a better way you should be more active; and China applies this to some extent. China is in a serious search and effort in order not to have another problem and not to tarnish its image, because Urumqi is China’s one of the important doors to the world.

In terms of bilateral relations, like China’s search of rationality Turkey is in a kind of search.

The trade volume between China and Turkey was above $ 14 billion in 2009; yet $ 1,599 billion of this trade volume is Turkey’s exportation. To narrow this trade deficit, Turkey should export more. Indeed, this search started long ago has brought results. For instance, despite the economic crisis Turkey’s exportation to China during the first 8 months of 2010 reached to $ 1, 451 billion with an increase of 62,8 % in comparison to last year’s rate. At that time importation was $ 10,670 billion with an increase of 37,9 percent. The trading volume for the first 8 months reached to $ 12,121 billion.

Without a doubt, narrowing of this trade deficit does not happen on its own. In this respect, the role of political will, search, and of initiative is very important. Without doubt, current politicians with the President, the Prime Minister, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs have taken this initiative. Again we have been observing that it is even dizzy to follow particularly Ahmet Davutoğlu’s diplomacy which is beyond human capacity with its strategic depth.

(Published on 30.10.2010 on Yeni Şafak [newspaper]).