Turkey's top diplomat vowed Thursday to root out militants plotting against China, signaling closer cooperation and a tougher stance against suspected Uighur militants hailing from China's Xinjiang region who once represented a major irritant in bilateral relations, ABC News reported.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told reporters during a visit to Beijing that his government would treat threats to China's security as threats to itself and would not allow any "anti-China activity inside Turkey or territory controlled by Turkey."

Cavusoglu's comments, which came after a meeting and warm handshakes with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, highlight the stark change in tone from Ankara in recent years regarding China's Uighur ethnic minority, a Turkic people who share cultural and linguistic ties with Anatolian Turks.

Cavusoglu endorsed China's efforts on Thursday, adding that Turkey "fully appreciated all the actions China has taken" in combating Daesh group as well as reaching a political settlement in the Syrian War.

Wang, meanwhile, said that "deepening our collaboration on anti-terror and security is the most central part" of the two countries' relationship.

Source : Mena