China and Türkiye’s Strategic Cooperation in the 21st Century: A ‘Complex Role’ Prism

China and Türkiye, the two pivotal states with global political, economic, and cultural influence, are located at the two ends of East Asia and West Asia, respectively. They are both rising, non-western, and authoritarian powers. Thus, they should have built a strategic partnership. However, unlike China’s comprehensive strategic partnerships with Algeria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and the UAE, the relations between China and Türkiye have been at a low level of strategic cooperation since 2010. To de-mystify the puzzle, this paper integrates agent, relations, and structure, puts forward a ‘complex role’ hypothesis, and argues that China and Türkiye have three layers of bilateral, regional, and global roles, and their role conceptions, expectations, and performances have divergent trajectories. The compatible, competitive, and conflicting roles between Beijing and Ankara constitute both dynamics and restraints of their partnership. The two sides perceive each other as a mix of economic partners, political competitors and security rivals. To foster bilateral relations in the new era, the two Republics should manage their role competition and conflict, and enhance role compatibility in bilateral ties and multi-lateral arenas through inter-institutional convergence and role adaptation.