Manzar Naqvi
KARACHI: China’s rapid economic development is reshaping the global economic landscape and opening new opportunities for developing countries to pursue independent growth strategies, a Turkish scholar has said.
Elif Kaya, a political economist at Istanbul Aydin University and director of the China Studies Application and Research Center, said China’s rise has significantly broadened development pathways for countries that were previously constrained by technological and financial monopolies dominated by a small number of Western-based corporations and institutions.
Speaking in an interview with Xinhua, Kaya noted that collaboration with China in infrastructure, production networks and technology has enabled many developing nations to strengthen domestic industrial capacity and reduce reliance on a single global economic center.
“Many countries today can reach higher stages of development by collaborating with China,” she said, adding that the shift has helped nations establish their own industries, businesses and technological capabilities.
According to the scholar, China’s growing engagement in infrastructure development has played a major role in supporting economic growth across Asia, Africa and other regions. Investment in transportation systems, energy projects and industrial zones has helped create the physical foundation necessary for industrialization and long-term development.
She noted that access to affordable infrastructure and integrated production networks has allowed emerging economies to build their own economic ecosystems and development strategies.
Kaya also highlighted China’s influence on global supply chains, stating that stronger links with Chinese manufacturing networks have contributed to the availability of lower-cost goods and industrial inputs worldwide.
“This process provides cheaper goods and services for people across the world, especially in developing countries, while also weakening technological monopolies that previously concentrated power in a few economies,” she said.
Beyond economic benefits, she emphasized that China’s rise has important political implications for developing countries by enhancing their policy autonomy.
“When countries diversify their economic partnerships and reduce dependency on a single financial or technological center, they gain greater freedom to design their own development strategies,” she said.
Kaya further observed that China’s economic expansion is contributing to the emergence of a more multipolar global economic structure. Historically, global economic influence was concentrated in a limited number of centers, but the rise of China and other emerging economies is gradually diversifying international economic relations.
Trade relations illustrate this transformation, she said, noting that China has become one of the largest trading partners for many countries across Southeast Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Such diversification strengthens global economic resilience, particularly at a time of rising protectionism and geopolitical uncertainty.
The scholar also pointed out that China’s economic growth generates positive spillover effects for the global economy due to its scale and integration into international markets.
“When China’s economy grows, it has a measurable impact on global growth, demand and trade,” she said, adding that increased Chinese demand supports production and exports in many other countries.
Kaya noted that China’s continued support for multilateral mechanisms and the international trading system also plays a stabilizing role in global economic governance.
“In essence, China’s development is closely interconnected with global development,” she said. “It promotes shared growth, expands opportunities for developing countries and contributes to a more balanced, multipolar and cooperative international economic order.”
Analysts believe that as China continues to expand its economic engagement worldwide, it will remain a key driver of global growth and a central partner for countries seeking sustainable and self-determined development in the decades ahead.
