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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

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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.

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    Should this "personal letter" contain anything in particular, besides the obvious "don't say you were working with the rebels" part? – Kevin Jun 11 '18 at 18:27
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    That's a fantastic answer to Q1, thanks. I wonder what the situation is with Q2? If you merely visited Turkey for tourism, would they deny ? – Fattie Jun 11 '18 at 19:36
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    I suppose links with Turkey will be looked at very suspiciously. But it'll depend greatly on who. A Westerner with a one-time trip to Instanbul will probably be ok. A Turkish-German with a history of visits to the ole country, not so much. –  Jun 12 '18 at 02:36
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    As for the don't say part, it's pretty obvious. But Chinese authorities will look at patterns, rather than justifications. –  Jun 12 '18 at 02:37
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    President Sarkozy mentioned Tibet You are trying to make it sound as if just saying the word "Tibet" is enough for China to respond with "such treatment". Bad. – SantiBailors Jun 12 '18 at 13:19
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    @SantiBailors it's quite the case... two words are enough (the name of a region + the word "country" or "independent") to heavily deteriorate your relations with China, no matter who you are. Diplomacy is to not take lightly. – Cœur Jun 12 '18 at 14:08
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    @Cœur So it's not quite the case. Two words, my point. Just saying the word "Tibet" is not enough for China to respond with "such treatment". It is pathetic for anyone to even suggest that. You need to add the name of a region + the word "country" or "independent". Does it make no difference to you? If there is a region that separatists claim as an independent country, is it strange that the country takes issue if another country refers to that region as a "country" or "independent"? Is that unheard of in the west? Are you people serious? – SantiBailors Jun 12 '18 at 21:28
  • I wonder, since China doesn't like Turkey at the moment, if supporting the independence movement in Northern Kurdistan would be a positive when applying for a Chinese visa... – Vikki Jun 13 '18 at 19:49
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    @Sean I don't think being involved in ANY kind of Turkey-related movement is good, really. The CCP isn't that subtle... My advice would be to erase any involvement with Turkey (like getting a new passport; obviously erasing one's place of birth is not possible) before applying for a Chinese visa. –  Jun 18 '18 at 06:04