Three Lessons China Learned from the United States

Three Lessons China Learned from the United States

America’s greatest export was never democracy or consumer culture. It was the template for global power itself.

An illustration shows Donald Trump and Xi Jinping standing atop two adjoining stairways. Trump looks away and raises a fist. Xi looks toward Trump smiling next to a Chinese flag. December 11, 2025, 12:01 AM

When historians look back on the early 21st century, they may conclude that the United States taught China more by example than through lectures about trade practices or political systems.

In October, the Chinese leadership released its recommendations for the country’s 15th Five-Year Plan, which will cover 2026 to 2030. The document outlined not just where the leadership intends to steer the world’s second-largest econo