War of words over Xinjiang erupts between Chinese and Turkish social media users

The debate over ethnic identity in Xinjiang has triggered an online clash between Chinese and Turkish social media users. The row began earlier this month when a Turkish social media user recalled an encounter with a Uygur from Xinjiang, the region in China that is home to nearly 12 million mainly Muslim Turkic speakers. The user wrote that the woman did not look Chinese, but when asked whether she considered herself Turkic, the woman responded: “No, I’m Chinese.” The user also called on her to “return to your roots”. The post had gained over 2 million views by Friday afternoon before the account was apparently deleted.