The Economic Policy Research Foundation of Turkiye (TEPAV), which is the economic thinktank of the Union of Chambers of Commerce and Commodities of Turkiye (TOBB) – a CACCI Primary Member – held a highly informative webinar on “Competing and Cooperating in the Asia-Pacific Region Amid a Changing Technology Landscape” on December 2, 2025.

The 60-minute session featured as speakers Dr. Güven Sak, Managing Director of TEPAV; Ms. Selin Arslanhan, Innovation Studies Program at TEPAV; and Ms. Sibel Güven, Sustainability Governance Program at TEPAV.

The webinar essentially analyzed CACCI’s positioning in the global technology landscape and outlined actionable policy recommendations for cooperation. In their presentations, the three speakers led by Dr Sak highlighted the following:

(1) The global landscape has undergone a profound transformation, with technology now central to both economic competitiveness and geopolitical power. As the global technology race intensifies, technological capability has become a dual force: a source of strategic advantage and systemic vulnerability.

(2) These trends call for new models of regional cooperation that can balance strategic competition with deeper collaboration. Within this evolving context, CACCI stands out as a diverse and heterogeneous network of economies, differing in scientific and technological capacity, industrial strength, and market scale. While CACCI’s high-tech exports have expanded significantly, this growth has yet to translate into technological sovereignty and readiness for frontier technologies.

(3) CACCI’s diversity and heterogeneity are strategic assets when leveraged through complementary specialization, fostering innovation, technology transfer, and market scaling across the region. Key policy proposals include establishing a CACCI Strategic Foresight Alliance, promoting joint R&D partnerships and a CACCI Technology Investment Fund, and aligning regional standards and certification for critical technologies.

(4) Together, these measures aim to bridge the gap between scientific capability and industrial strength and to position CACCI as a proactive actor in shaping a resilient, balanced, and interconnected Asia-Pacific technology ecosystem.

Among the key takeaways cited by the speakers are the following:

(1) CACCI's mix of technology leaders, growing technological ecosystems, and developing members is a strength. It allows for partnerships where different countries can specialize in different parts of a broader technological ecosystem.

(2) High-tech export success does not automatically reflect strong technology ecosystems or long-term innovation capacity in critical technologies.

(3) CACCI countries are more connected to global powers like China and the US in high-tech trade than to each other.

(4) A recurring pattern is the gap between CACCI's scientific performance and its industrial strength

The speakers concluded that there is a growing need to re-think new models of cooperation, noting the following:

(1) In the deepening global technological race, competitiveness now depends on building capabilities in new technologies and deploying new technologies in major global markets.

(2) CACCI’s diversity is an asset if leveraged for complementary specialization and technology cooperation.

(3) Innovation is no longer linear: new technologies need different skills, tools, and policies at each stage of development and diffusion.

(4) Strong science alone is not enough; success depends on turning research into real industry impact.

(5) Export growth does not always mean domestic innovation strength; technology capacity building remains essential.

(6) There is a need to move from a single national approach to collaborative regional ecosystems.

(7) Cross-border technology clusters, joint R&D platforms, and shared investment funds can turn diversity into strength.

(8) Building shared technology capabilities and policy alignment can increase technological sovereignty in critical technologies.