China’s growing influence in Turkey’s media landscape is making it increasingly difficult for Uyghur journalists and activists to draw attention to human rights abuses in Xinjiang, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said in a new report.
The press freedom group said Beijing has expanded its media presence in Turkey through state-run outlets, partnerships with major Turkish news organizations, sponsored content and Turkish-language social media accounts that promote Chinese government narratives, portraying its policies in Xinjiang as development and counterterrorism measures.
The report comes amid growing concerns about the situation of an estimated 50,000 Uyghurs living in Turkey. Human Rights Watch said in November 2025 that Turkey, long considered a safe haven for Uyghurs because of linguistic, cultural and religious ties, had become increasingly unsafe for those without Turkish citizenship, citing residence permit cancellations, detention and deportation risks.
RSF identified a series of partnerships between Chinese state media and some of Turkey’s most influential news organizations. The pro-government Turkuvaz Media Group publishes a Turkish edition of China Today with Chinese partners, while the state-run Anadolu news agency signed a cooperation agreement with China’s Xinhua News Agency in 2018. In addition, public broadcaster TRT has partnerships with Chinese state media, including China Central Television, the China Media Group and CGTN.
Beyond partnerships, China has also expanded its direct Turkish-language media presence through outlets such as CGTN Türk, Xinhua Türkiye and social media accounts that, according to RSF, promote Beijing’s narratives on economic development and religious freedom in Xinjiang while disputing reports of mass detention and other abuses.
RSF said China’s expanding media presence has made it more difficult for Uyghur journalists and activists to counter Beijing’s narratives in Turkey, particularly because of the disparity in financial and institutional resources.
Uyghur journalist Muhammed Ali Atayurt, vice president of the Turkey-based Istiklal Media Group, told RSF that journalists face surveillance, online harassment, attempts to collect personal information, digital threats and pressure on relatives who remain in China.
Concerns about Chinese influence over coverage of Uyghur issues in Turkey are not new. During a 2017 visit to Beijing, then-foreign minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said Turkey would take measures against media reports targeting China and would not allow “anti-China activities” in the country.
A Turkey-China extradition treaty signed the same year and still awaiting ratification by the Turkish Parliament has also fueled fears among Uyghurs that it could be used to target members of the community.
China has faced international condemnation over its treatment of Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim minorities in Xinjiang. Since 2016 Chinese authorities have subjected Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims in the region to mass arbitrary detention, torture, forced labor and other abuses that rights groups say amount to crimes against humanity.
