The Daily Planet #100: The China Shock, Part 1

I can't believe the Daily Planet has been going for 100 days already (and this isn't counting the Weekly Planets, of which there have been 16 so far). I'm giving myself a pat in the back for keeping it going ✊🏾.

There are a little over three weeks left this year and I want to end it with a series of posts on the biggest shift in human affairs in the last 500 years: the rise of China as an alternative to Western power, and a model of modernity with roots in its own distinctive history.

There's so much to say here, but you absolutely have to start with this remarkable essay by Kaiser Kuo. In "The Great Reckoning" Kuo says the world is undergoing a profound transformation as China rises to challenge long-held Western ideas about development, governance, and modernity. China's remarkable achievements - lifting nearly 800 million people out of extreme poverty, dramatically increasing life expectancy, and leading the global renewable energy transition - demand that the West rethink its assumptions. This shift is not just about power but about how societies organize themselves and define progress.

The United States, in particular, faces a crisis of identity and effectiveness. Its traditional belief in liberal democracy and free-market capitalism as the only paths to prosperity is being questioned as China demonstrates a different model: state-led development combined with market mechanisms and technocratic governance. The U.S. is beginning to adopt some of China's methods, such as industrial policy and government-industry partnerships, signaling a quiet but significant change in economic thinking.

This "Great Reckoning" calls for intellectual honesty. The West must acknowledge China's successes without dismissing them or clinging to outdated narratives that expect China to fail or conform to Western norms. There's no need to surrender Western values but the West should learn from others' achievements and strengthen its institutions through clear-eyed self-examination.

Climate change highlights this shift in political legitimacy, where the ability to deliver real results - like building renewable energy infrastructure - matters more than ideological purity. China's capacity to innovate, build at scale, and withstand economic pressure contrasts sharply with U.S. dysfunction.

Kuo urges a psychological and perceptual shift: to see the world as it is, recognize multiple paths to modernity, and embrace a more pluralistic understanding of progress. The future will be shaped by diverse models and ideas, and the West must adapt thoughtfully rather than deny these new realities.

The Great Reckoning - The Ideas Letter