Bridging Digital Policies: Emerging Markets in Global Cooperation
Ussal Şahbaz, World Internet Conference, Wuzhen, China, November 21, 2024
It is a privilege to join this distinguished forum at the World Internet Conference, where leaders discuss resilience, shared growth, and mutual progress through technology diplomacy, balanced regulation, and inclusive cooperation.
Today, I bring a perspective from Türkiye, my home country — a middle-sized emerging market. Drawing on six years of experience facilitating policy dialogues between global technology companies and governments across Türkiye, Azerbaijan, and the Gulf region, I have witnessed firsthand the critical role of business diplomacy in fostering cross-border resilience and mutual trust.
Business diplomacy connects societies, nation-states, and private technology companies, addressing the complex challenges of today’s digital landscape. Positioned at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, Türkiye uniquely strengthens resilience in digital supply chains, particularly in sectors like fintech and e-commerce. Our strategic location and solid diplomatic connections allow us to bridge diverse digital ecosystems spanning Central Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.
Chinese internet businesses have made significant contributions by creating inclusive digital solutions that expand access in underserved markets, providing invaluable services to emerging regions. Their efforts reflect the importance of global cooperation and shared innovation in the digital age — a spirit embodied by this forum.
Balancing Security and Innovation through Flexible Regulation
While international diplomacy fosters cross-border resilience, balanced and flexible regulation within each nation is equally essential to protect sovereignty and foster innovation. Emerging markets, in particular, need policy space to navigate their unique challenges without imposing one-size-fits-all international standards.
China’s approach to digital regulation demonstrates how emerging markets can lead in policy experimentation, adapting policies to meet local needs. This contrasts with the more prescriptive and sometimes inflexible regulations of the European Union. The “lean startup” model China employs — testing, iterating, and refining policies — offers valuable lessons for other nations striving to balance innovation and security.
AI Governance and Emerging Markets
Emerging markets like Türkiye have the potential to bridge Eastern and Western approaches to AI governance. While regulatory perspectives differ across the U.S., China, and the EU, Türkiye’s geopolitical position and adaptable policies uniquely position us to mediate and foster a balanced global AI ecosystem.
A significant challenge for emerging markets lies in the dominance of Western-centric AI models, with over 60% of training data in leading AI systems, such as ChatGPT, being in English. This limits the effectiveness of these systems in non-English contexts, producing subpar outputs for languages like Turkish.
To achieve digital independence and resilience, we must develop national AI systems tailored to local languages and cultural contexts rather than relying exclusively on Western-centric models.
The Strategic Role of Emerging Markets in the Global Digital Ecosystem
Emerging markets like Türkiye are uniquely positioned to shape inclusive digital policies that bridge diverse economic landscapes and connect the global digital ecosystem. Platforms like the G20, which unite a broader group of nations compared to the G7, are critical for addressing the varied challenges of AI governance and digital transformation.
The G20 can also play a pivotal role in addressing rising protectionism by promoting cross-border data transfers, onboarding SMEs into international trade, and developing safe models for digital currency transfers. These efforts are essential for stimulating global trade and creating equitable digital structures.
Business diplomacy will be instrumental in this context. My experience in Türkiye, Azerbaijan, and the UAE has shown that fostering dialogue between governments and private sector leaders is crucial for building trust and mutual understanding in the global digital ecosystem.
Conclusion
In closing, I urge all to strengthen technology diplomacy and embrace inclusive global cooperation. Together, we can harness the power of digital transformation to achieve shared prosperity and create a balanced, inclusive digital world that benefits all nations and peoples.
Thank you for the honor of addressing this distinguished forum.
