The skills China demonstrates in managing its growth process are impressive.

On Thursday, the Year of Rabbit will begin in the Chinese horoscope. On the eve of a new year, would you like to compare how Turkey and China look from an objective point of view? I do not know why, but I see - or hear, let us say - two different political styles. On the one hand is China, which accomplishes ten tasks, but talks casually about just one of them. On the other hand is Turkey, which pretends to have accomplished one task reluctantly, but then speaks in a tone as if tens tasks have been completed. This is surprising. What is the underlying cause of this? If you wonder, please read on.

This year China has outpaced Japan and become the second biggest economy of the world. It has the largest automobile market in the world, for instance: this year 14 million vehicles were sold there. It also has the largest foreign exchange reserves in the world. The Central Bank of China holds $2.85 trillion in foreign exchange reserves. It has the highest share in import demand for France's Bordeaux wines. As an analysis by the Goldman Sachs reveals, by 2027 China will surpass the USA and become the biggest economy of the world.

Hu Jintao, Secretary General of the Communist Party of China and President of the Republic of China, was in Washington D.C. recently. President Obama personally hosted him. Looking at the photographs of the two, you might imagine Hu Jhintao saying, "Hussein, my dear. Now we know better. And, in fact, I own all this territory." But he did not. Neither did Xi Jinping, who will most probably take Jintao's place in office next. Even if they think so, they pretend not to. Why?

It appears that Chinese leaders stick to the recommendations of Deng Xiao Ping, who years ago said that in geopolitical terms, China should focus primarily on development. His "hide your brightness/bide your time" policy was shaped in this framework. China shines with the skills it demonstrates in managing its growth process. No Chinese administrator shows off or argues that they decide the order and rule the world. They actually do rule the world, but they do not talk about it.

I guess this is the fundamental difference between these two political styles: They work hard, we talk a lot. However, as the Egypt example also has shown, Turkey is in the "accomplisher" category in the region thanks to the achievements of the Republican era. There is no need to talk about this in detail. We do not know in what direction the developments in Egypt will evolve. The words of one of the protestors were clear: "Thirty years ago Egypt was a cultural center looked up to by all of the countries of the region. There is nothing left now." He is right. Three decades ago Egypt was the apple of the Arab world's eye. They would listen to Egyptian radio stations and watch Egyptian movies. Not anymore. The Arab world now watches the world on Turkish TV channels and radio stations. People kept asking me about the TV series 'Ezel' in my last visit to Iraq. Next time they will probably ask about the series about Suleiman the Magnificent.

Is it something bad? No. Is Turkey important? Yes.

But it would be better if we did not show off shouting "we are important!" Does this have to do with being Middle Eastern? Who knows?

This commentary was published in Radikal daily on 01.02.2011