Erdogan seen ‘balancing’ between China and the West in third term as Turkish president

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to continue a balancing act between China and the West in his third five-year term, but observers say Beijing’s treatment of the Uygur minority in Xinjiang will remain a challenge for ties.

Chinese President Xi Jinping congratulated Erdogan after he beat opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu – who had promised a West-leaning foreign policy – in a run-off election on Sunday.

Xi said China and Turkey had “broad common interests” in his message to Erdogan on Monday.

“In recent years, the development of the China-Turkey strategic cooperative relationship has maintained momentum, and...