Western complacency frames China as merely catching up, causing persistent underestimation of its rise by assuming it must follow or fail by Western norms.
In Bad Samaritans: The Myth of Free Trade and the Secret History of Capitalism (2007), Ha-Joon Chang argues that the economic histories of today’s advanced nations follow a recurring and often obscured pattern. Countries such as Germany and Japan began with industries widely stigmatized for low quality, then relied on protectionist policies, state support, and … Read more
In Bad Samaritans: The Myth of Free Trade and the Secret History of Capitalism (2007), Ha-Joon Chang dismantles a set of long-standing Western claims that attributed the economic failures of countries such as Korea, Japan, and China to so-called “Confucian values.” These explanations portrayed Confucianism as inherently hostile to innovation, entrepreneurship, and modern economic organization, … Read more
The “Flying Geese Paradigm,” proposed by Japan, uses the metaphor of geese flying in formation to describe a hierarchical pattern of industrial development in East Asia. In this framework, Japan acted as the “leading goose,” completing industrial upgrading first and subsequently relocating mature or low–value-added industries to later-developing economies. These follower countries were expected to … Read more
China’s strong and capable manufacturing ecosystem—particularly the toy manufacturing base, the counterfeit mobile phone industry, and the consumer electronics OEM system that emerged in Guangdong’s Pearl River Delta during the 2000s—provided a critical structural foundation for DJI’s rise. This ecosystem supplied far more than low-cost labor: it offered dense supplier networks, rapid prototyping capabilities, flexible … Read more
The West’s current ambivalence toward China can be understood as a defensive posture—a set of intellectual defense mechanisms aimed at preserving established perceptions by denying or minimizing disruptive realities. China’s rise represents not merely a shift in the global balance of power, but a profound challenge to the foundations of Western thought, compelling the liberal … Read more
In Powerful, Different, Equal: Overcoming the Misconceptions and Differences Between China and the US (2019), Peter B. Walker argues that each country is deeply rooted in its own governance model, making it unrealistic to expect one to adopt the other’s system or worldview. He emphasizes that fostering mutual understanding, rather than enforcing conformity, is essential … Read more
China’s Made in China 2025 initiative (MIC 2025) mirrors the historical catch-up strategy once employed by the United States, which protected key industries like steel and textiles to achieve global economic leadership. This approach—using state tools to build strategic advantage—reflects a pattern noted by economist Ha-Joon Chang, who observed that developed nations often “kick away … Read more
Northvolt’s downfall was not merely the result of technical or logistical issues—it stemmed largely from complacency, overconfidence, and hubris, which permeated its strategy, operations, and overall corporate mindset. Overconfidence in Capital and Reputation Northvolt’s early trajectory was marked by a profound overconfidence in the power of capital and reputation. The company assumed that billions in … Read more
The theories of Seymour Martin Lipset, Adam Przeworski, and Francis Fukuyama fostered complacency and hubris within policymaking circles following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Collectively, these frameworks shaped U.S. and Western strategic thinking after 1991, contributing to miscalculations that inadvertently facilitated China’s emergence as both a global manufacturing hub and a technological innovation powerhouse. … Read more
From the 1990s through the 2010s, many Western policymakers believed that China’s rapid economic modernization would naturally result in political liberalization—or else lead to stagnation. This view, grounded in liberal teleology, modernization theory, and the triumphalism that followed the Cold War, proved misguided. It bred complacency in Western strategy, postponed effective policy responses, and ultimately … Read more