Turkey-China Online Feud: The 2026 'Twitter War'

In October 2026, Turkish and Chinese netizens clashed in a large-scale online feud on social media, which users dubbed the “first Twitter war.” The trigger was a Turkish blogger’s post on October 16 urging a Uyghur girl to “return to her Turkic roots.” After she refused, the blogger lost his temper, and a wave of Turkish netizens piled in with claims such as “the Great Wall was built to keep out the Turks” and “Chinese food was invented by Turks.” On October 19, a Chinese user posted a meme comparing Patrick Star skydiving with the Turkish flag, with a joking caption. The post drew more than 10 million views and nearly 100,000 likes, becoming the core flashpoint of the whole quarrel.

This grassroots online conflict matters not only for its scale and the breadth of participation, but because it reflects deep divisions between netizens of the two countries over historical narratives and national identity. Yet despite the fierce online arguing, diplomatic and economic cooperation between the Chinese and Turkish governments was not materially affected, showing this was purely a civilian internet event.

From memes to a ‘history war’

The conflict began with memes and mockery but quickly escalated into a full-blown argument over history, genetics and national identity. Netizens from Greece, Russia and the Kurdish region joined the Chinese side, while some Japanese and South Korean users sided with Turkey. At one point, Turkish netizens called the opposing arguments “too hardcore” and called for a retreat. The melee lasted several days, with the topic expanding from the function of the ancient Great Wall to the origins of food culture, as both sides dug in and emotions ran high.

Economic backdrop: high growth and high inflation

When the argument turned to “whose economy is more developed,” data may be more persuasive than emotion. Turkey has a population of about 87 million and straddles Europe and Asia, and its economic story is defined by high growth coexisting with high inflation. The World Bank raised its forecast for Turkey’s 2025 GDP growth from 2.6% to 3.1%. Under the government’s medium-term plan for 2027 to 2029, GDP is to exceed $2.2 trillion by 2029, with GDP per capita reaching about $25,000, total exports of goods and services at $450 billion, and about 2.1 million new jobs added in the coming years.

The inflation picture is the opposite. The latest medium-term plan, published in September, cut the 2026 growth forecast from 3.8% to 3.3% but sharply raised the year-end inflation forecast from 16% to 28.4%. The central bank projects about 28%, market surveys about 29.4%, and inflation targets then fall year by year to 21% in 2027, 13.5% in 2028 and 9% in 2029. The government publicly accepts the reality of “slower growth, higher inflation,” which is rare in policy documents.

The exchange rate and policy loop

One driver of inflation is the exchange rate. The lira has depreciated steadily against the dollar from 35.26 at the end of 2024, and the market expects it to weaken past 46 by the end of 2026. A weaker exchange rate raises import costs, import costs push up prices, prices push up wage demands, and wages push prices up again. Turkey has been stuck in this loop for years. Since 2023, Erdogan’s government has abandoned the unorthodox line that “lower interest rates mean lower inflation,” returned to orthodox economics, and appointed central bank governor Siftici and finance minister Simsek to push a tight policy mix. Tighter monetary and fiscal policy has brought inflation down year by year from a peak above 60%. But at 28%, it still stands out among major global economies, and prices have multiplied over two decades. Older Turks have lived through the full cycle of going from millionaire to having only loose change in their pockets.

Public sentiment, official calm

Although the online feud was fierce, it did not spill over into official relations. Chinese-Turkish diplomatic and economic cooperation continued as usual, showing a clear separation between public sentiment and official policy. For Chinese people traveling or living in Turkey, understanding this separation may help them view online voices more rationally. After all, the emotions in a quarrel will pass, while the reality in the data, whether growth ambitions or inflation pressure, is what deserves more attention.