China's Transformation Redefines Modernity (legrandcontinent.eu)

• 800 million lifted from extreme poverty since 1980 (World Bank).
• Life expectancy rose from 33 (1960) to 78 years (2023).
• Over 50% of global solar and wind capacity in China.
• US quietly adopts Chinese industrial policy (CHIPS Act, IRA).

"China's economic and technological rise has fundamentally challenged Western assumptions about modernity, development, and governance. The article by former Baidu executive Kaiser Kuo argues that the West, particularly the US, remains in denial about the scale of China's transformation. Drawing on data on poverty reduction, life expectancy, and renewable energy dominance, Kuo contends that China has resolved its historical quest for modernity without abandoning its cultural identity. This forces a reexamination of liberal democratic norms and state capacity. The piece calls for an honest intellectual reckoning rather than defensive denial."