China, Turkey pledge to deepen counter-terrorism cooperation

Chinese President Xi Jinping (right) shakes hands with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan before their meeting at the West Lake State Guest House on September 3, 2016 in Hangzhou, China. REUTERS/Lintao Zhang/Pool - RTX2NY4O

HANGZHOU, China (Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan agreed on Saturday to deepen counter-terror cooperation, as the two set aside previous disagreements over China's treatment of a Turkic-speaking Muslim minority.

Hundreds, possibly thousands, of Uighurs keen to escape unrest in China's western Xinjiang region have travelled clandestinely via Southeast Asia to Turkey, where many see themselves as sharing religious and cultural ties.