The Chinese Embassy in Turkey announced on February 26 that the Chinese Consulate-General in Izmir, Turkey will be temporarily closed from the next day. The Chinese Embassy clarified "the decision is based on factors such as China's comprehensive work efficiency and is entirely based on the integration of Chinese work" and that it had informed the Turkish government which "understands this". Some analysts believe that the incident is related to Turkey’s recent high-profile condemnation of Xinjiang’s suppression of Muslims. However, China emphasizes that the decision is based on "work integration considerations. The Central News Agency quoted Xinjiang issue expert Jiang Zhaoyong as saying that China’s sudden move was undoubtedly a manifestation of diplomatic downgrade, and it may be because of dissatisfaction with Turkey’s frequent criticism of Xinjiang’s policies. Turkey is likely to play the role of the Islamic world in criticising China.

(Comment: Izmir is Turkey's third largest town.)