Opportunities for Türkiye to act as it struggles to break free from Western hegemony.
Opportunities for Türkiye to act as it struggles to break free from Western hegemony.
We asked Adnan Akfırat, Chairman of the Turkish-Chinese Business Development and Friendship Association, two questions about the two recent developments that made the headlines of the world media. The EU’s exclusion from the US-Russia talks, and the “Two Sessions”, known as the most important political event of the year in China took place in 4-11 March in Beijing.
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What is your take of the exclusion of the EU by Trump? Can Europe regain its prestige and influence in world politics? Is it more likely for the EU to lean towards the US or Asia in the following period?
It is understandable that the EU is out of the loop in the effort to end the war against Russia. It is proof that the world is becoming multipolar. In my view, there is a more important fact that the EU’s exclusion demonstrates: By resisting Western aggression, by forcing Zelensky to surrender, Russia has dissolved NATO!
Prof. Timothy Ash, head of the Russia and Eurasia Desk at Chatham House, the British imperialist policy-making institution, declared “NATO is dead” in an interview with Bloomberg on March 3: “NATO is already more or less dead. It should be very clear to European leaders that NATO is dead, we cannot rely on US security guarantees, they came and told us that… We cannot trust the Americans anymore. We have to move on, we have to think about our own national interests, our own security, we have a very difficult transition ahead of us.”
Prof. Ash’s assessment is correct: Very difficult times await the EU. The disintegration of NATO coincides with the longest economic recession in Europe’s history. The EU’s intention to create an $800 billion rearmament budget is just wishful thinking. One after another, member states are objecting to this decision. They don’t have the power to do it anyway. That is why Europe will never again gain prestige and influence in world politics!
NATO was created in the Second World War to bring Europe under US domination. For years, the US enjoyed NATO, making Europe a pillar of its unipolar domination. In the face of Asia’s economic and military rise, Europe has fallen by the wayside. Under Trump, the US has decided to turn inward. NATO is therefore disintegrating. The US is now abandoning its allies in Afghanistan and telling them to “do what you want”.
Europe can only become “humanized” if it can establish relations with Asia based on the principles of “respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, equality, mutual benefit, non-interference in internal affairs and peace”. This is the direction of development. The EU is lowering its sails against China, which it had raised during the Biden administration. By establishing relations with China on the basis of mutual benefit, it can also improve its relations with Russia. The improvement of EU-Turkiye relations is also possible only by establishing an equal relationship.
Increase in defense spending made the headlines in some world media after the “Two Sessions”. What are the most important results of it?
It would be an understatement to say that the most important outcome of the “Two Meetings” was to increase defense spending to counter the US and NATO.
The annual meeting of the Chinese National People’s Congress and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference concluded on March 11 with the enriching adoption of the Government Program and the Economic and Social Development Plan. These two texts can be summarized under the following four headings: Accelerating high quality development, deepening reform, bringing the most benefits of development to the people and strengthening self-confidence. The most important indicator of strengthening self-confidence is the strengthening and modernization of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army.
Under conditions where the growth rates of developed capitalist countries have fallen to very small figures and the average growth rate in the world is 3%, China is aiming for an annual growth rate of around 5%. They have decided to continue reforming the industrial, agricultural and service sectors to make governance more transparent, lighter and more accountable in order to strengthen innovation and expand the domestic market to improve the welfare of the people.
China represents a clear horizon in a world where dark clouds gather over the moribund state of capitalism. At a press conference on the sidelines of the National People’s Congress on March 7, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said, “China is naturally a member of the Global South because we have fought together against colonialism and hegemony in history and are committed to the common goal of development and revitalization. No matter how the world changes, our heart will always be with the Global South and our roots will grow deeper in the Global South.”
China’s economic and military empowerment creates an opportunity for Türkiye to act as it struggles to break free from Western hegemony. It also facilitates Türkiye’s emergence as a pole. There is no irreconcilable contradiction between Türkiye and China. Moreover, both countries share the same aspirations for the construction of a multipolar world.
China’s development allows Türkiye, located at the crossroads of three continents, to become China’s production, distribution and tourism base. Increasing economic prosperity in China allows Türkiye to tap into a market of 1 billion 400 million people whose purchasing power increases every year. If we can make the most of it, China can be an alternative to the shrinking western markets to improve Türkiye’s exports. The development of Türkiye-China relations is in the interest of both countries as well as the whole humanity.