Emerging partnership in a post-Western world? The political economy of China-Turkey relations

ABSTRACT

The present paper aims to explain the newly found momentum in the China-Turkey relationship over the course of the past decade. Attention is given to two interlocking processes involving global dynamics and domestic politics in Turkey in a rapidly shifting international context. At the global level, significant power shifts away from the West and the growing global reach and assertiveness of China during the Xi Jinping era have played an important role. At the domestic level, profound power shifts and attempts to consolidate a new and yet fragile political-economic model associated with a highly centralized and authoritarian presidential system have emerged as crucial factors. Our central point is that the China-Turkey partnership embodies an important political dimension that goes beyond a narrow economic partnership. Given the inherently political nature of the relationship, the future path of the China-Turkey partnership will depend crucially on Turkey’s domestic political trajectory over the next decade.

KEYWORDS:

• Global shifts
• emerging powers
• post-liberal order
• authoritarian turns
• China
• Turkey

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the editors and referees of the Journal as well well our colleagues Fikret Şenses and Mustafa Kutlay for their valuable comments and criticisms on earlier versions of the article.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. Source: Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK) https://www.tuik.gov.tr/

2. ‘2018 “Year of Records” in Turkey-China Ties: Ambassador.’ 2020. Accessed October 26. https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/2018-year-of-records-in-turkey-china-ties-ambassador/1354128.

3. Source: BRI website https://www.beltroad-initiative.com/belt-and-road/

4. 2019 Statistical Bulletin of China’s Outward Foreign Direct Investment, Chinese Ministry of Commerce.

5. Ibid.

6. ‘Türkiye Büyük Millet Meclisi.’ 2020. Accessed October 29. https://www.tbmm.gov.tr/develop/owa/kanunlar_sd.sorgu_yonlendirme?Kanun_no=&k_Baslangic_Tarihi=&k_Bitis_Tarihi=&r_Baslangic_Tarihi=&r_Bitis_Tarihi=&sorgu_kelime=%C7in.

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8. This conclusion is based on our calculation and comparison according to approved project lists in AIIB website: https://www.aiib.org/en/projects/list/index.html?status=Approved

9. Source: Asian Infrastructure and Investment Bank website https://www.aiib.org/

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11. A Turkish Air Force F-16 fighter jet shot down a Russian Sukhoi Su-24 M attack aircraft in November 2015 for Russian aircraft’s violation of Turkish-Syrian border which led to a political crisis between the two countries.

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15. See Table 1.

Table 1. List of approved projects in Turkey from AIIB^9.

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Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ziya Öniş

Ziya Öniş is Professor of International Political Economy at Koç University in Istanbul. He is the former director of both the Center for Research on Globalization, Peace and Democratic Governance (GLODEM) and the Graduate School of Social Sciences and Humanities at Koç University. His recent research focuses on the global financial crisis and its implications for future patterns of globalization, southern varieties of capitalism, democratization and rise of authoritarianism in emerging powers, debates on the future of the post-liberal international order, and the political economy of Turkey during the AKP era. His articles have been published in, among others: Review of International Political Economy, New Political Economy, Governance, Journal of Democracy, Comparative Politics, Government and Opposition, Development and Change, Mediterranean Politics, Third World Quarterly, Democratization, and Political Science Quarterly.

Maimaiti Yalikun

Maimaiti Yalikun is Ph.D. candidate in International Relations at Koç University in Istanbul. His major fields of interests include comparative politics, international political economy, and his research interests focus on the rise of China and its implications for the dynamics of the emerging post-liberal international order.