In 2011, something quietly historic happened in the corridors of the World Intellectual Property Organization. For the first time, China filed more patent applications than the United States. Western analysts shrugged. They called it a numbers game, insisting that quality still resided firmly in American hands. Fifteen years on, the numbers have grown so large […]
Understanding China’s Framing of the Internet as a Public Good
For much of the past two decades, the international discourse surrounding China’s internet has been dominated by a single narrative: control. Western headlines have focused almost exclusively on the “Great Firewall,” framing the country’s approach as a monolithic effort in censorship. While this perspective contains a kernel of truth, it is a profoundly incomplete picture. […]
Beyond geopolitics: the belt and road’s economic reality
For over a decade, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has been a subject of intense global discussion, often framed in sweeping, geopolitical terms. Launched by China in 2013, it has been depicted as everything from a masterstroke of economic statecraft to a contentious geopolitical gambit. Yet, lost amidst the grand narratives is a more […]