By Orçun Göktürk, from Beijing / CHINA A recent article published in the South China Morning Post—owned by Alibaba Group’s founder and one of China’s wealthiest figures, billionaire Jack Ma (Chinese name: Mǎ Yún)—was titled “New wave of globalization could be China-led”. The piece was authored by Wang Huiyao, the president of the Beijing-based think tank “Center for China and ...
By Mehmet Enes Beşer With news of China’s alleged transfer of defense technology and weapons to Yemen, Beijing’s Middle East policy came under renewed questioning. While the specific scale and form of such aid remains unclear, the political ramifications of the news are certain. To others, these moves all add up to a real change in China’s role — reluctant ...
By Mehmet Enes Beşer Southeast Asia has always been a rich weave of cultures, languages, and identities. Diverse as that has been, it has also required a unifying linguistic strand that enables trade, diplomacy, and frequent intercourse across borders. European languages such as English, Dutch, and French served the purpose in colonial times. In the postcolonial period, English continued to ...
By Mehmet Enes Beşer The People’s Republic of China has undergone rapid economic development since initiating its reform and opening-up policies in 1978, during which the logistics sector has experienced significant transformation. Comprehensive investments in road, rail, air, and maritime transportation since the 1990s have established a modern logistics infrastructure. This infrastructure serves as a critical foundation for accelerating global ...
By Mehmet Enes Beşer In ten years, China has evolved from a wannabe imitator to a genuine leader in the international artificial intelligence (AI) race. Where China was once a technology imitator, today it is reshaping the architecture of innovation and setting the pace for AI advancements across sectors—from facial recognition and fintech to autonomous vehicles and defense technologies. While ...
By Özgür Altınbaş Two important Eurasian powers clashed. India struck some points it claimed as terrorist formations as part of Operation Sindoor. Pakistan then responded with retaliation. Pakistan’s Defense Ministry said in a statement that 5 Indian fighter jets and 1 drone were shot down. At least 35 people were confirmed dead from both sides. The number of wounded exceeded ...
By Onur Sinan Güzaltan The world keeps revolving, Swiftly, relentlessly. And it changes… A brief glance at the past month’s headlines reveals the weight of change and uncertainty. 1. Trump’s new tariffs President Trump declared a new wave of tariffs only on China, the European Union and the southern neighbors tightening his policy of “turning inward”. We are now entering ...
By Mehmet Enes Beşer China’s gaming sector has finally come of age. From a one-time fractured universe of PC cafés and pirated software to a globally competitive industry home to corporate titans Tencent and NetEase, China’s digital gaming revolution is at the same time eye-opening and instructive. It is the largest gaming market in the world by population and one ...
By Mehmet Enes Beşer The green transformation in the car industry is no longer a vision of the future but a here-and-now necessity. Transport emissions account for almost a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, and the decarbonization of mobility is at the heart of both European and Asian climate policy. Rhetorical sustainability talk is now part of industrial ...
By Mehmet Enes Beşer New Zealand foreign policy has long been a balance between being close friends and maintaining sovereignty. In an age of heightening geopolitical rivalries, most prominently between China and the United States, New Zealand must steer the intricate challenge of balancing its security interests with long-time allies while reorienting towards high-level economic relations with China. This research ...