The Situation and Activities of the Turkish Embassy during the Chinese Civil War

Abstract

The first step in establishing diplomatic missions between Turkey and China was taken in 1929 with the opening of a legation in Nanjing. Closed after about two years for economic reasons, it was reopened in Chongqing in 1939, where it was affected by the Japanese occupation and the Chinese Civil War. The mission, elevated to embassy status in 1943, was relocated to Nanjing following the end of the war with Japan and the Nationalist Government of China’s transfer of its capital there. Turkey’s first ambassador to China was Hulusi Fuad Tugay. As communist forces approached Nanjing in early 1949, the embassy’s chief secretary was sent to Canton as a precaution against any adverse development, establishing a second diplomatic mission under the Nanjing Embassy. When Nanjing fell to communist forces and foreign embassies there were besieged, the Turkish Embassy was also adversely affected. Diplomats from countries that did not recognize the People’s Republic of China were treated as ordinary individuals, and the privileges granted to diplomats under international relations were disregarded. Under these conditions, the Nanjing Embassy, which had tried to continue its activities, relocated first to Hong Kong as the situation became dangerous, and was later abolished. Having very few Turkish citizens under their jurisdiction during their time in China, Turkish diplomats focused mainly on preparing reports on China’s internal, foreign, and military affairs, occasionally addressing the Türkistan (Xinjiang) region in these reports as well. They also engaged in activities related to negotiations over the friendship treaty between the two countries and to economic and commercial relations. They further worked to preserve a positive image of Turkey in China and to advocate for the Turkish position on the Straits issue. This study examines the status and activities of Turkey’s diplomatic missions and representatives in China during the Civil War, based primarily on primary sources, most notably the Turkish Diplomatic Archives, which has only recently been opened to research.