The balance is shifting in scientific development

Renowned scientist Aziz Sancar explains in a speech. He emphasizes that while America has been at the forefront of scientific studies for the past fifty years, the superiority has been shifting toward China in recent years. We are all witnessing China's rise in the economy, so it should not be surprising that it is taking the lead in science. The most important indicator of this is that they are about to rise to almost the first place in technological development. We all see that China is in a rapid development process in all technological fields that shape today's world, from electronics to informatics. 

We are currently in close contact with the Communication University of China, one of China's important universities. They visited Üsküdar University, where I serve as rector, with a request for cooperation and provided detailed information about their university. Perhaps this was the first time I had the opportunity to be in such close interaction with Chinese academics, and I was extremely pleased with this. Thus, I had the chance to witness their developments, the importance they attach to science, and their visionary perspectives up close. They also know very little about Turkey, and they expressed their satisfaction that they carried out their first academic contact with us. A number of decisions were made for the cooperation between the two universities to progress on a concrete basis, a comprehensive protocol was signed, and the first concrete step will be their participation in the scientific conference of the International Communication Days, organized annually by Üsküdar University, which will be held in Cyprus this year with a focus on artificial intelligence. 

In our contacts with Chinese academics, we see that China is accelerating its progress, especially in artificial intelligence technology. The work they have put forward in this field, as well as their academic and educational infrastructure, demonstrate their potential to shape the world of the future. Therefore, I think that academic cooperation with China will be important for the future. 

I would like to emphasize here that Turkey's academic community should not remain limited to Western-focused interaction, but should develop cooperation toward China and Japan. I am not saying let's break away from the West, but I am saying let's not remain limited to the West. We have built up the West too much in our eyes, and we cannot seem to get out of that mindset. Let's follow it, but I don't think there is any need for exaggerated admiration and absolute attachment. Knowing and staying in interaction is important, but being attached to it as the only alternative is unnecessary. 

As Aziz Sancar emphasizes, we need to expand our area of interaction and relationship toward the East. In this respect, interaction with China's academic and scientific circles is important. According to Sancar, we should also take advantage of the potential of the Turkic Republics in this direction. We know how strong the Turkic Republics such as Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan are in terms of natural resources. In addition, we also know that they have a very strong human potential that is curious about education, learning, and science. Therefore, strengthening cooperation with our kinsmen in terms of science and education is of great importance in terms of taking our place among the leading powers of the future world. 

Let us continue to follow the West, but let us not neglect the East. Let us not forget that once upon a time, the East was the true center of civilization, development, and enlightenment. It seems it will be so in the future as well. While the population in the West is aging and America is directing its energy toward developing new imperialist strategies, strategies in the East are showing a science-oriented orientation. As Turkey and the Turkish academic community, we can only take our place among the important actors of the future world if we shape our future-oriented strategies and efforts with a science-oriented understanding.