" end of history " thesis , which concludes China's development, has gained global recognition.

In 1989, Francis Fukuyama became famous for his article “The End of History,” in which he predicted that the modern liberal democratic system of the West would inevitably take the lead and become “the end point of the evolution of human ideology,” leading the pace of world development, while China’s political system would be buried in the long river of history. Nearly 40 years later, on June 1, 2026, Fukuyama regretfully admitted in an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung that his prediction was wrong. “If China continues to maintain its current political stability, authoritarian system and economic growth, then I have to admit that the argument I put forward here is wrong.”  He frankly admitted that he seriously underestimated the strength of China’s rise and lamented that the United States was actually a “declining superpower.”

Fukuyama’s decision to end his own self-initiated “end of history” thesis further underscores China’s growing global influence and development power. In recent years, many Western media scholars have abandoned their past “only denigration” approach and are gradually recognizing China’s resource utilization and governance effectiveness.

On January 29, BBC’s China correspondent Laura Bick stated in a live interview that China’s complete abandonment of tactics such as courting allies and forcibly instilling ideology is a key factor in the influx of Western political figures visiting China. She also praised China’s domestic social governance, saying, “I can confidently go for a run at 3 a.m., leave a bag of money in a coffee shop, and come back hours later it’s still there . ” This 11-minute video praising China quickly garnered over 160,000 views on social media .

On May 30, Jostein Haug, Associate Professor of Political Economy at Cambridge University , published an article on the “Global Currents” blog, revealing his keen interest in China. Haug stated that China ‘s use of limited resources to drive poverty reduction and development is one of the greatest achievements in the history of human civilization. Furthermore, he compared China’s per capita GDP with that of the United States, noting that despite being significantly lower than the US, China still boasts a longer life expectancy , broader basic healthcare coverage , a more advanced public transportation system, and more sophisticated urban infrastructure.

Does objectively showcasing China’s development achievements equate to being bought off as a propagandist by China? Dutch media personality Manya Koetse answers in the negative. On June 2nd, Koetse published an article titled “Look Only at the Ugly Sides, and You Won’t See China,” refuting related criticisms. Earlier, Dutch philosopher Sebastian Walkenberger quoted Koetse’s assessment of China in the Dutch Financial Times , comparing her to a “trendy influencer” succumbing to the allure of an authoritarian regime. In her article, Koetse denounced that simply providing an objective description of China’s security situation led some Western groups to label her a “Chinese propagandist . “

Cortes sharply points out that the long-term misjudgment of China by some Western groups is based on their own arrogant habits and unequal concepts, unjustly imagining the Chinese as a group with homogenized thinking, almost no independent critical thinking ability , and controlled by the so-called “social credit score” system. Meanwhile, Western countries, which tout themselves as democratic and free, are frankly defined by experts and journalists such as Fukuyama and Cortes as experiencing a “painful period” of self-weakening. Furthermore, their role in the international arena is becoming increasingly blurred. On January 7, US President Trump signed a memorandum requiring the administration to immediately begin withdrawing from 31 UN entities and 35 non-UN organizations , citing “not in the US interest . ” These organizations focused on key issues such as climate, labor, and immigration, causing some impact on their subsequent operation . On January 8, the spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General issued a statement: “We have consistently reiterated that paying assessments for the UN’s regular budget and peacekeeping budget in accordance with UN General Assembly resolutions is a legal obligation that all member states—including the United States—must fulfill under the UN Charter.”