The End of American Exceptionalism and The Rise of China

I like to start my days by reading the news. This ritual grows wearier by the day. Growing up in France, I was raised to believe that America was aspirational. American movies, brands, and ideals dominated even over local culture. This idea went unquestioned in light of the U.S.’s enduring prosperity and global dominance. The Chinese name for America, 美国 (Měiguó), literally means “beautiful nation.” Wealth and security were inextricably tied to the western liberal-democratic model. As political scientist Francis Fukuyama once famously argued, the triumph of liberal democracy was supposed to mark the “end of history.”

Yet by 2020, he walked back this claim, acknowledging that ideology often follows material success. This tonal shift is striking in light of what we are seeing now. Western societal decline and the sharp rise of authoritarian China. Geopolitical discourse often assumes that unipolarity will continue, and that these opposing trajectories will lead to a potential global power transition, with China ultimately assuming a hegemonic position. Wherever one may live, this shift would bring on dramatic changes at all levels from foreign relations to the mental frameworks through which we view the world. As a young citizen, I therefore feel compelled to reflect on old and new models and these narratives I’ve grown up alongside.

I have long felt western perceptions of China shift from a paternalistic lens to a reactionary one, mired by the idea of a “China Threat”. Either way, the overwhelming image that was conjured was that of a backwards country fraught with poverty and undesirable living conditions. This view went seemingly unchallenged under the impetus of Deng Xiaoping’s 8 character strategy, which advised that China keep a low profile on the international stage to allow for unscrutinized development. In subsequent years, Chinese national confidence has grown alongside its economy leading to a demand for increased assertiveness and recognition on the global stage.

I’ve witnessed this shift unfold online, in a context particularly apt for positive reception. China’s pushing hard to promote its tech, through initiatives like state-backed influencers and digital propaganda campaigns. On my explore page, reports on tumbling Tesla stocks are followed by incredible footage of the XiaoMi SU7 which rivals the Tesla’s model S Plaid at almost half the price. Western influencers are riding the trend in droves, posting about their trips to the likes of Chongqing and Shenzhen with captions like “China is living in 2050”. China is being revealed to the world as a hub of modernity, complete with drone based fast-food delivery, flying cars, and a state-of-the-art public transportation system. Even in environmental policy, which was, historically, a point of criticism, they are pioneering with innovations like air-purifying towers and floating solar farms.

China’s accomplishments are heightened by U.S efforts to prevent them. DeepSeek Version 3 shocked the AI world by offering a free alternative to ChatGPT developed at a small fraction of the price and in spite of the U.S.’s ban on the sale of Nvidia high-performance chips to the People’s Republic of China. Social media doesn’t provide us with complete narratives, especially given the Chinese Communist Party’s tight control over media outputs. But what we are seeing shows an undeniably advanced society, while the United States faces rampant structural and social issues. Still, these advances don’t account for the sharp pitfalls of CCP rule.

China's growing power has hurt freedom in places it controls. The detention of many Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang has been widely documented, with over a million individuals reportedly held in “vocational education and training centers” where they face forced labor and ideological indoctrination. The harsh response to people seeking independence in Hong Kong and Tibet is equally troubling. In Hong Kong, the imposition of the 2020 National Security Law led to the arrest of pro-democracy activists such as Joshua Wong and media figures like Jimmy Lai, the shutdown of independent news outlets, and the criminalization of peaceful protest. In Tibet, Beijing has long maintained tight surveillance and control over religious practices, including the forced assimilation of Tibetan children through state-run boarding schools and the repression of monks and monasteries that resist government oversight. Across both regions, expressions of dissent are routinely met with censorship, police brutality, and imprisonment.

At its core, the Chinese government's approach directly opposes the personal freedom and democratic values taught in Western education and at home. For most of my life, I thought these Western liberal values were true and absolute.

In my first year of college, I came across the book Robert Weil’s Red Cat, White Cat. Weil provided perspective on Deng Xiaoping's economic reforms, but more importantly, it introduced me to Chinese political thought. One quote, in particular, stood out: “The idea that the freedom to complain about joblessness and lack of medical coverage is a fundamental human right, but that jobs and healthcare are not, seemed ridiculous in China.”

The role of the state can be viewed as both a guarantor and moderator. China's top-down control and state-led approach has coincided with significant economic growth and surface-level social stability. A more involved government has shown results for improving material conditions and security in certain contexts. In China, this situation presents economic development alongside limited political freedoms. Meanwhile, the United States demonstrates a different pattern, where democratic institutions designed to protect individual rights now operate within a system increasingly influenced by corporate interests and financial priorities.

American democracy's challenges highlight an important factor in any political system: coherence. The principles that shaped American democracy have driven positive social change and built lasting public support. However, a government's legitimacy and effectiveness depend on how well it actually delivers on its stated values. Today's political environment reveals a gap between democratic ideals and their implementation in practice.

Daily developments under the Trump administration show a shift in priorities, with more influence from corporate and capital interests than citizen welfare. We see this when Elon Musk chainsaws through federal jobs and protections or when Trump downplays retirement plans in favor of ushering in tariffs. Witnessing mounting chaos in the United States brings me back to the social contract theories I first learned of through Jean Jacques Rousseau’s writings.

His ideas, so influential during the French Revolution, frame legitimate authority as that which serves the common good. Rousseau didn't see freedom as doing whatever you want, but as living under laws that serve everyone's interests. Interestingly, while Rousseau opposed authoritarian rule, China's government today, with its traditional "Mandate of Heaven" concept, sometimes seems closer to his idea of serving the common good than the American system does. The Chinese Communist Party's right to govern, like ancient emperors, depends on delivering prosperity, stability, and national strength. If it fails to provide these things, it risks forfeiting its mandate in the eyes of its citizens.

China's record shows this approach at work. Its huge economic growth in the early 2000s came with rising inequality. According to the World Bank it hit a high in 2010 with a Gini score of 0.43. Western critics used this to downplay China's success. But China fought back with "Common Prosperity" policies - raising minimum wages, helping rural areas develop, and making big companies donate money. These efforts dropped China's Gini score to 35.7, now better than America's, while still growing at 6.5% yearly - even during COVID. Meanwhile, the US economy grew much slower at about 2.5%, with inequality getting worse.

The values that I’ve been taught, the importance of freedom and individual choice, still matter immensely to me. But mounting anxiety over future prospects in this current world order are becoming harder to reconcile with moral considerations. It just shows us where America should do better. Personal freedoms remain essential-- China still uses the death penalty widely, restricts free speech, and actively threatens Taiwan's democracy. Conversations about China must move past one-sided and hypocritical views.

Between France and the Netherlands where I study, I am lucky to live with pluralism, stability, and prosperity. But this balance relies on the production and protection of China and the United States. Maintaining and expanding this model while supporting global growth remains an important challenge.