Turkish authorities said they detained six people accused of spying on Uyghur communities on behalf of China’s intelligence agency, while a seventh suspect remains wanted by police. The incident threatens to raise tensions between Ankara and Beijing over the minority ethnic group.

Turkey is home to more than 50,000 Muslim Uyghurs — a group with strong linguistic and cultural ties to Turkey — and thousands have fled there from China’s western Xinjiang region in recent years to escape repressive treatment by Beijing. China has sent large swaths of the Uyghur population to internment camps, actions U.S. officials have said amount to a genocide.

While China’s treatment of Uyghurs has long been a source of contention between Ankara and Beijing, the two countries’ deepening economic ties have led the growing Uyghur diaspora in Turkey to fear for its safety.

The espionage incident could pose a risk to Turkey’s attempt “to position itself as a hub in the Chinese trade corridor project aiming to link Asia and Europe,” Al-Monitor reported.

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