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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20250604T143000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20250604T170000
DTSTAMP:20250601T161459Z
CREATED:20250403T090646Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250601T161459Z
UID:10000064-1749047400-1749056400@www.vnc-china.nl
SUMMARY:Company visit to Huawei
DESCRIPTION:by Heleen Mees \n								\n				\n					\n				\n		\n					\n				\n				\n									Suddenly\, Francis Fukuyama\, the philosopher who proclaimed the end of history in 1989\, is hoisted on the shield. Wasn’t he right\, Joost de Vries wondered in Sunday. Sander Schimmelpenninck was more adamant when on Monday morning Fukuyama saw very clearly in The End of History and the Last Man from 1992 that material security would be a driver of extreme right-wing misery instead of protection against it.The reason for the revival is the publication of Fukuyama’s memoirs In the Realm of the Last Man. In it\, Fukuyama argues that he was not so much concerned with the end of history as with the fate of man at the end of history\, in a society in which fundamental contradictions no longer exist. Where politics has been impoverished into technocratic governance and the passions that were once focused on the future have moved to the past.  The last man would resist peace and prosperity out of sheer boredom\, just to experience a bit of drama and conflict again. The problem is that you first need the end of history before you arrive at the last person. Has history really come to an end? Fukuyama suggests so. According to him\, there is no alternative to liberal Western democracy as communism was during the Cold War.  ‘You have religious theocracies\, small Latin American dictatorships. And then there are Russia and China\, which have little more in common than their hostility to the West.” None of these\, according to Fukuyama\, claims to be universally valid for everyone in the world as communism and liberalism did. But ‘socialism with Chinese characteristics’\, as Deng Xiaoping coined it in 1982\, does have universal pretensions.  According to Xi Jinping’s foreign policy doctrine\, which has replaced Deng Xiaoping’s “Hide your strength\, bide your time\,” China wants to use “superpower diplomacy” to create a community with a shared future for humanity. China wants to show that there is an alternative path of modernization. China is putting its money where its mouth is with programs such as the Belt and Road Initiative and the Global Governance Initiative.  The fact that China can now rightly call itself a superpower is partly due to Fukuyama’s essay from 1989 in which he wrote very firmly that we had arrived at a point where we cannot imagine a world that is essentially different from ours and history has therefore come to an end. Fukuyama saw proof of this in the spread of Western consumer culture\, in particular the fact that color televisions could be found everywhere in China.  								\n				\n					\n				\n		\n					\n				\n				\n									This is the first part of Heleen Mees’ column in the Volkskrant of October 4\, 2026. (link to the whole article (for subscribers: \nhttps://www.volkskrant.nl/columns-van-de-dag/fukuyama-pretendeert-nog-steeds-dat-er-geen-alternatief-is-voor-het-westers-liberalisme~bca83aad/ 								\n				\n					\n				\n		\n					\n				\n				\n									\nHeleen Mees is an economist with a focus on geoeconomics\, an opinion maker and regularly writes about China. She obtained her PhD in 2012 on the consequences of China’s rise for the West.
URL:https://www.vnc-china.nl/en/event/company-visit-to-huawei/
LOCATION:Huawei Technologies Netherlands B.V.\, Laan van Vredenoord 56\, Rijswijk\, 2289 DJ \, Netherlands
CATEGORIES:Economie en zakelijk,VNC event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.vnc-china.nl/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/unnamed.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20250524T134500
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20250524T180000
DTSTAMP:20250519T110129Z
CREATED:20250519T110054Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250519T110129Z
UID:10000073-1748094300-1748109600@www.vnc-china.nl
SUMMARY:Monsieur Loo and Asian Art Collections: Life\, Legacy and Ethics
DESCRIPTION:by Heleen Mees \n								\n				\n					\n				\n		\n					\n				\n				\n									Suddenly\, Francis Fukuyama\, the philosopher who proclaimed the end of history in 1989\, is hoisted on the shield. Wasn’t he right\, Joost de Vries wondered in Sunday. Sander Schimmelpenninck was more adamant when on Monday morning Fukuyama saw very clearly in The End of History and the Last Man from 1992 that material security would be a driver of extreme right-wing misery instead of protection against it.The reason for the revival is the publication of Fukuyama’s memoirs In the Realm of the Last Man. In it\, Fukuyama argues that he was not so much concerned with the end of history as with the fate of man at the end of history\, in a society in which fundamental contradictions no longer exist. Where politics has been impoverished into technocratic governance and the passions that were once focused on the future have moved to the past.  The last man would resist peace and prosperity out of sheer boredom\, just to experience a bit of drama and conflict again. The problem is that you first need the end of history before you arrive at the last person. Has history really come to an end? Fukuyama suggests so. According to him\, there is no alternative to liberal Western democracy as communism was during the Cold War.  ‘You have religious theocracies\, small Latin American dictatorships. And then there are Russia and China\, which have little more in common than their hostility to the West.” None of these\, according to Fukuyama\, claims to be universally valid for everyone in the world as communism and liberalism did. But ‘socialism with Chinese characteristics’\, as Deng Xiaoping coined it in 1982\, does have universal pretensions.  According to Xi Jinping’s foreign policy doctrine\, which has replaced Deng Xiaoping’s “Hide your strength\, bide your time\,” China wants to use “superpower diplomacy” to create a community with a shared future for humanity. China wants to show that there is an alternative path of modernization. China is putting its money where its mouth is with programs such as the Belt and Road Initiative and the Global Governance Initiative.  The fact that China can now rightly call itself a superpower is partly due to Fukuyama’s essay from 1989 in which he wrote very firmly that we had arrived at a point where we cannot imagine a world that is essentially different from ours and history has therefore come to an end. Fukuyama saw proof of this in the spread of Western consumer culture\, in particular the fact that color televisions could be found everywhere in China.  								\n				\n					\n				\n		\n					\n				\n				\n									This is the first part of Heleen Mees’ column in the Volkskrant of October 4\, 2026. (link to the whole article (for subscribers: \nhttps://www.volkskrant.nl/columns-van-de-dag/fukuyama-pretendeert-nog-steeds-dat-er-geen-alternatief-is-voor-het-westers-liberalisme~bca83aad/ 								\n				\n					\n				\n		\n					\n				\n				\n									\nHeleen Mees is an economist with a focus on geoeconomics\, an opinion maker and regularly writes about China. She obtained her PhD in 2012 on the consequences of China’s rise for the West.
URL:https://www.vnc-china.nl/en/event/monsieur-loo-and-asian-art-collections-life-legacy-and-ethics/
LOCATION:Auditorium Rijksmuseum\, Museumstraat 1\, Amsterdam\, Noord-Holland\, 1071 XX\, Netherlands
CATEGORIES:Partner
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.vnc-china.nl/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/CT_Loo.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20250522T140000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20250522T160000
DTSTAMP:20250313T091020Z
CREATED:20250313T091020Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250313T091020Z
UID:10000054-1747922400-1747929600@www.vnc-china.nl
SUMMARY:Museum Visit Dragons and Demons\, Groninger Museum
DESCRIPTION:by Heleen Mees \n								\n				\n					\n				\n		\n					\n				\n				\n									Suddenly\, Francis Fukuyama\, the philosopher who proclaimed the end of history in 1989\, is hoisted on the shield. Wasn’t he right\, Joost de Vries wondered in Sunday. Sander Schimmelpenninck was more adamant when on Monday morning Fukuyama saw very clearly in The End of History and the Last Man from 1992 that material security would be a driver of extreme right-wing misery instead of protection against it.The reason for the revival is the publication of Fukuyama’s memoirs In the Realm of the Last Man. In it\, Fukuyama argues that he was not so much concerned with the end of history as with the fate of man at the end of history\, in a society in which fundamental contradictions no longer exist. Where politics has been impoverished into technocratic governance and the passions that were once focused on the future have moved to the past.  The last man would resist peace and prosperity out of sheer boredom\, just to experience a bit of drama and conflict again. The problem is that you first need the end of history before you arrive at the last person. Has history really come to an end? Fukuyama suggests so. According to him\, there is no alternative to liberal Western democracy as communism was during the Cold War.  ‘You have religious theocracies\, small Latin American dictatorships. And then there are Russia and China\, which have little more in common than their hostility to the West.” None of these\, according to Fukuyama\, claims to be universally valid for everyone in the world as communism and liberalism did. But ‘socialism with Chinese characteristics’\, as Deng Xiaoping coined it in 1982\, does have universal pretensions.  According to Xi Jinping’s foreign policy doctrine\, which has replaced Deng Xiaoping’s “Hide your strength\, bide your time\,” China wants to use “superpower diplomacy” to create a community with a shared future for humanity. China wants to show that there is an alternative path of modernization. China is putting its money where its mouth is with programs such as the Belt and Road Initiative and the Global Governance Initiative.  The fact that China can now rightly call itself a superpower is partly due to Fukuyama’s essay from 1989 in which he wrote very firmly that we had arrived at a point where we cannot imagine a world that is essentially different from ours and history has therefore come to an end. Fukuyama saw proof of this in the spread of Western consumer culture\, in particular the fact that color televisions could be found everywhere in China.  								\n				\n					\n				\n		\n					\n				\n				\n									This is the first part of Heleen Mees’ column in the Volkskrant of October 4\, 2026. (link to the whole article (for subscribers: \nhttps://www.volkskrant.nl/columns-van-de-dag/fukuyama-pretendeert-nog-steeds-dat-er-geen-alternatief-is-voor-het-westers-liberalisme~bca83aad/ 								\n				\n					\n				\n		\n					\n				\n				\n									\nHeleen Mees is an economist with a focus on geoeconomics\, an opinion maker and regularly writes about China. She obtained her PhD in 2012 on the consequences of China’s rise for the West.
URL:https://www.vnc-china.nl/en/event/museum-visit-dragons-and-demons-groninger-museum-2/
LOCATION:Groninger Museum\, Museumeiland 1\, Groningen\, Groningen\, 9711 ME\, Netherlands
CATEGORIES:Art and culture
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.vnc-china.nl/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Tentoonstellingen2024Draken-en-demonen_1200x670_crop_center-center_95_none_nsDraken-en-Demonen-campagnebeeld.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20250519T184500
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20250519T220000
DTSTAMP:20250517T110323Z
CREATED:20250403T100454Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250517T110323Z
UID:10000067-1747680300-1747692000@www.vnc-china.nl
SUMMARY:VNC China Pubquiz!
DESCRIPTION:by Heleen Mees \n								\n				\n					\n				\n		\n					\n				\n				\n									Suddenly\, Francis Fukuyama\, the philosopher who proclaimed the end of history in 1989\, is hoisted on the shield. Wasn’t he right\, Joost de Vries wondered in Sunday. Sander Schimmelpenninck was more adamant when on Monday morning Fukuyama saw very clearly in The End of History and the Last Man from 1992 that material security would be a driver of extreme right-wing misery instead of protection against it.The reason for the revival is the publication of Fukuyama’s memoirs In the Realm of the Last Man. In it\, Fukuyama argues that he was not so much concerned with the end of history as with the fate of man at the end of history\, in a society in which fundamental contradictions no longer exist. Where politics has been impoverished into technocratic governance and the passions that were once focused on the future have moved to the past.  The last man would resist peace and prosperity out of sheer boredom\, just to experience a bit of drama and conflict again. The problem is that you first need the end of history before you arrive at the last person. Has history really come to an end? Fukuyama suggests so. According to him\, there is no alternative to liberal Western democracy as communism was during the Cold War.  ‘You have religious theocracies\, small Latin American dictatorships. And then there are Russia and China\, which have little more in common than their hostility to the West.” None of these\, according to Fukuyama\, claims to be universally valid for everyone in the world as communism and liberalism did. But ‘socialism with Chinese characteristics’\, as Deng Xiaoping coined it in 1982\, does have universal pretensions.  According to Xi Jinping’s foreign policy doctrine\, which has replaced Deng Xiaoping’s “Hide your strength\, bide your time\,” China wants to use “superpower diplomacy” to create a community with a shared future for humanity. China wants to show that there is an alternative path of modernization. China is putting its money where its mouth is with programs such as the Belt and Road Initiative and the Global Governance Initiative.  The fact that China can now rightly call itself a superpower is partly due to Fukuyama’s essay from 1989 in which he wrote very firmly that we had arrived at a point where we cannot imagine a world that is essentially different from ours and history has therefore come to an end. Fukuyama saw proof of this in the spread of Western consumer culture\, in particular the fact that color televisions could be found everywhere in China.  								\n				\n					\n				\n		\n					\n				\n				\n									This is the first part of Heleen Mees’ column in the Volkskrant of October 4\, 2026. (link to the whole article (for subscribers: \nhttps://www.volkskrant.nl/columns-van-de-dag/fukuyama-pretendeert-nog-steeds-dat-er-geen-alternatief-is-voor-het-westers-liberalisme~bca83aad/ 								\n				\n					\n				\n		\n					\n				\n				\n									\nHeleen Mees is an economist with a focus on geoeconomics\, an opinion maker and regularly writes about China. She obtained her PhD in 2012 on the consequences of China’s rise for the West.
URL:https://www.vnc-china.nl/en/event/vnc-china-pubquiz/
LOCATION:FC Den Bosch\, Victorialaan 21\, Den Bosch\, Netherlands
CATEGORIES:Economie en zakelijk,VNC event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.vnc-china.nl/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pubquiz.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20250515T170000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20250515T200000
DTSTAMP:20250501T084536Z
CREATED:20250409T140143Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250501T084536Z
UID:10000066-1747328400-1747339200@www.vnc-china.nl
SUMMARY:VNC Chinese Eating Club - 15 May in Amsterdam
DESCRIPTION:by Heleen Mees \n								\n				\n					\n				\n		\n					\n				\n				\n									Suddenly\, Francis Fukuyama\, the philosopher who proclaimed the end of history in 1989\, is hoisted on the shield. Wasn’t he right\, Joost de Vries wondered in Sunday. Sander Schimmelpenninck was more adamant when on Monday morning Fukuyama saw very clearly in The End of History and the Last Man from 1992 that material security would be a driver of extreme right-wing misery instead of protection against it.The reason for the revival is the publication of Fukuyama’s memoirs In the Realm of the Last Man. In it\, Fukuyama argues that he was not so much concerned with the end of history as with the fate of man at the end of history\, in a society in which fundamental contradictions no longer exist. Where politics has been impoverished into technocratic governance and the passions that were once focused on the future have moved to the past.  The last man would resist peace and prosperity out of sheer boredom\, just to experience a bit of drama and conflict again. The problem is that you first need the end of history before you arrive at the last person. Has history really come to an end? Fukuyama suggests so. According to him\, there is no alternative to liberal Western democracy as communism was during the Cold War.  ‘You have religious theocracies\, small Latin American dictatorships. And then there are Russia and China\, which have little more in common than their hostility to the West.” None of these\, according to Fukuyama\, claims to be universally valid for everyone in the world as communism and liberalism did. But ‘socialism with Chinese characteristics’\, as Deng Xiaoping coined it in 1982\, does have universal pretensions.  According to Xi Jinping’s foreign policy doctrine\, which has replaced Deng Xiaoping’s “Hide your strength\, bide your time\,” China wants to use “superpower diplomacy” to create a community with a shared future for humanity. China wants to show that there is an alternative path of modernization. China is putting its money where its mouth is with programs such as the Belt and Road Initiative and the Global Governance Initiative.  The fact that China can now rightly call itself a superpower is partly due to Fukuyama’s essay from 1989 in which he wrote very firmly that we had arrived at a point where we cannot imagine a world that is essentially different from ours and history has therefore come to an end. Fukuyama saw proof of this in the spread of Western consumer culture\, in particular the fact that color televisions could be found everywhere in China.  								\n				\n					\n				\n		\n					\n				\n				\n									This is the first part of Heleen Mees’ column in the Volkskrant of October 4\, 2026. (link to the whole article (for subscribers: \nhttps://www.volkskrant.nl/columns-van-de-dag/fukuyama-pretendeert-nog-steeds-dat-er-geen-alternatief-is-voor-het-westers-liberalisme~bca83aad/ 								\n				\n					\n				\n		\n					\n				\n				\n									\nHeleen Mees is an economist with a focus on geoeconomics\, an opinion maker and regularly writes about China. She obtained her PhD in 2012 on the consequences of China’s rise for the West.
URL:https://www.vnc-china.nl/en/event/vnc-chinese-eetclub/
LOCATION:Full Moon Garden – Dim Sum & Cantonese Cuisine\, Leidsestraat 95\, Amsterdam\, 1017 NZ\, Netherlands
CATEGORIES:Art and culture
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.vnc-china.nl/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/food-china-3.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20250510T110000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20250510T130000
DTSTAMP:20250506T130713Z
CREATED:20250312T130500Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250506T130713Z
UID:10000065-1746874800-1746882000@www.vnc-china.nl
SUMMARY:General Members Meeting VNC
DESCRIPTION:by Heleen Mees \n								\n				\n					\n				\n		\n					\n				\n				\n									Suddenly\, Francis Fukuyama\, the philosopher who proclaimed the end of history in 1989\, is hoisted on the shield. Wasn’t he right\, Joost de Vries wondered in Sunday. Sander Schimmelpenninck was more adamant when on Monday morning Fukuyama saw very clearly in The End of History and the Last Man from 1992 that material security would be a driver of extreme right-wing misery instead of protection against it.The reason for the revival is the publication of Fukuyama’s memoirs In the Realm of the Last Man. In it\, Fukuyama argues that he was not so much concerned with the end of history as with the fate of man at the end of history\, in a society in which fundamental contradictions no longer exist. Where politics has been impoverished into technocratic governance and the passions that were once focused on the future have moved to the past.  The last man would resist peace and prosperity out of sheer boredom\, just to experience a bit of drama and conflict again. The problem is that you first need the end of history before you arrive at the last person. Has history really come to an end? Fukuyama suggests so. According to him\, there is no alternative to liberal Western democracy as communism was during the Cold War.  ‘You have religious theocracies\, small Latin American dictatorships. And then there are Russia and China\, which have little more in common than their hostility to the West.” None of these\, according to Fukuyama\, claims to be universally valid for everyone in the world as communism and liberalism did. But ‘socialism with Chinese characteristics’\, as Deng Xiaoping coined it in 1982\, does have universal pretensions.  According to Xi Jinping’s foreign policy doctrine\, which has replaced Deng Xiaoping’s “Hide your strength\, bide your time\,” China wants to use “superpower diplomacy” to create a community with a shared future for humanity. China wants to show that there is an alternative path of modernization. China is putting its money where its mouth is with programs such as the Belt and Road Initiative and the Global Governance Initiative.  The fact that China can now rightly call itself a superpower is partly due to Fukuyama’s essay from 1989 in which he wrote very firmly that we had arrived at a point where we cannot imagine a world that is essentially different from ours and history has therefore come to an end. Fukuyama saw proof of this in the spread of Western consumer culture\, in particular the fact that color televisions could be found everywhere in China.  								\n				\n					\n				\n		\n					\n				\n				\n									This is the first part of Heleen Mees’ column in the Volkskrant of October 4\, 2026. (link to the whole article (for subscribers: \nhttps://www.volkskrant.nl/columns-van-de-dag/fukuyama-pretendeert-nog-steeds-dat-er-geen-alternatief-is-voor-het-westers-liberalisme~bca83aad/ 								\n				\n					\n				\n		\n					\n				\n				\n									\nHeleen Mees is an economist with a focus on geoeconomics\, an opinion maker and regularly writes about China. She obtained her PhD in 2012 on the consequences of China’s rise for the West.
URL:https://www.vnc-china.nl/en/event/algemene-ledenvergadering-vnc/
LOCATION:VNC kantoor\, Burgemeester van Karnebeeklaan 6\, Den Haag\, 2585BB
CATEGORIES:VNC event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.vnc-china.nl/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/VNC_NL-tekst_900x455px.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20250324T170000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20250324T190000
DTSTAMP:20250313T085840Z
CREATED:20250221T121412Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250313T085840Z
UID:10000047-1742835600-1742842800@www.vnc-china.nl
SUMMARY:China Café - China’s ambitions in the AI domain
DESCRIPTION:by Heleen Mees \n								\n				\n					\n				\n		\n					\n				\n				\n									Suddenly\, Francis Fukuyama\, the philosopher who proclaimed the end of history in 1989\, is hoisted on the shield. Wasn’t he right\, Joost de Vries wondered in Sunday. Sander Schimmelpenninck was more adamant when on Monday morning Fukuyama saw very clearly in The End of History and the Last Man from 1992 that material security would be a driver of extreme right-wing misery instead of protection against it.The reason for the revival is the publication of Fukuyama’s memoirs In the Realm of the Last Man. In it\, Fukuyama argues that he was not so much concerned with the end of history as with the fate of man at the end of history\, in a society in which fundamental contradictions no longer exist. Where politics has been impoverished into technocratic governance and the passions that were once focused on the future have moved to the past.  The last man would resist peace and prosperity out of sheer boredom\, just to experience a bit of drama and conflict again. The problem is that you first need the end of history before you arrive at the last person. Has history really come to an end? Fukuyama suggests so. According to him\, there is no alternative to liberal Western democracy as communism was during the Cold War.  ‘You have religious theocracies\, small Latin American dictatorships. And then there are Russia and China\, which have little more in common than their hostility to the West.” None of these\, according to Fukuyama\, claims to be universally valid for everyone in the world as communism and liberalism did. But ‘socialism with Chinese characteristics’\, as Deng Xiaoping coined it in 1982\, does have universal pretensions.  According to Xi Jinping’s foreign policy doctrine\, which has replaced Deng Xiaoping’s “Hide your strength\, bide your time\,” China wants to use “superpower diplomacy” to create a community with a shared future for humanity. China wants to show that there is an alternative path of modernization. China is putting its money where its mouth is with programs such as the Belt and Road Initiative and the Global Governance Initiative.  The fact that China can now rightly call itself a superpower is partly due to Fukuyama’s essay from 1989 in which he wrote very firmly that we had arrived at a point where we cannot imagine a world that is essentially different from ours and history has therefore come to an end. Fukuyama saw proof of this in the spread of Western consumer culture\, in particular the fact that color televisions could be found everywhere in China.  								\n				\n					\n				\n		\n					\n				\n				\n									This is the first part of Heleen Mees’ column in the Volkskrant of October 4\, 2026. (link to the whole article (for subscribers: \nhttps://www.volkskrant.nl/columns-van-de-dag/fukuyama-pretendeert-nog-steeds-dat-er-geen-alternatief-is-voor-het-westers-liberalisme~bca83aad/ 								\n				\n					\n				\n		\n					\n				\n				\n									\nHeleen Mees is an economist with a focus on geoeconomics\, an opinion maker and regularly writes about China. She obtained her PhD in 2012 on the consequences of China’s rise for the West.
URL:https://www.vnc-china.nl/en/event/24-maart-china-cafe-over-chinas-ambities-op-het-gebied-van-ai/
LOCATION:De Utrechter Stadsbrasserie en Bar\, Vredenburg 40\, Utrecht\, 3511 BD
CATEGORIES:China Cafe calendar,Economie en zakelijk
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.vnc-china.nl/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/foto-china-cafe.jpeg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20250303T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20250303T203000
DTSTAMP:20250413T111027Z
CREATED:20250218T154433Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250413T111027Z
UID:10000063-1741030200-1741033800@www.vnc-china.nl
SUMMARY:Informatie bijeenkomst -Tafeltenniskamp te Shanghai 26 juli t/m 9 augustus 2025
DESCRIPTION:by Heleen Mees \n								\n				\n					\n				\n		\n					\n				\n				\n									Suddenly\, Francis Fukuyama\, the philosopher who proclaimed the end of history in 1989\, is hoisted on the shield. Wasn’t he right\, Joost de Vries wondered in Sunday. Sander Schimmelpenninck was more adamant when on Monday morning Fukuyama saw very clearly in The End of History and the Last Man from 1992 that material security would be a driver of extreme right-wing misery instead of protection against it.The reason for the revival is the publication of Fukuyama’s memoirs In the Realm of the Last Man. In it\, Fukuyama argues that he was not so much concerned with the end of history as with the fate of man at the end of history\, in a society in which fundamental contradictions no longer exist. Where politics has been impoverished into technocratic governance and the passions that were once focused on the future have moved to the past.  The last man would resist peace and prosperity out of sheer boredom\, just to experience a bit of drama and conflict again. The problem is that you first need the end of history before you arrive at the last person. Has history really come to an end? Fukuyama suggests so. According to him\, there is no alternative to liberal Western democracy as communism was during the Cold War.  ‘You have religious theocracies\, small Latin American dictatorships. And then there are Russia and China\, which have little more in common than their hostility to the West.” None of these\, according to Fukuyama\, claims to be universally valid for everyone in the world as communism and liberalism did. But ‘socialism with Chinese characteristics’\, as Deng Xiaoping coined it in 1982\, does have universal pretensions.  According to Xi Jinping’s foreign policy doctrine\, which has replaced Deng Xiaoping’s “Hide your strength\, bide your time\,” China wants to use “superpower diplomacy” to create a community with a shared future for humanity. China wants to show that there is an alternative path of modernization. China is putting its money where its mouth is with programs such as the Belt and Road Initiative and the Global Governance Initiative.  The fact that China can now rightly call itself a superpower is partly due to Fukuyama’s essay from 1989 in which he wrote very firmly that we had arrived at a point where we cannot imagine a world that is essentially different from ours and history has therefore come to an end. Fukuyama saw proof of this in the spread of Western consumer culture\, in particular the fact that color televisions could be found everywhere in China.  								\n				\n					\n				\n		\n					\n				\n				\n									This is the first part of Heleen Mees’ column in the Volkskrant of October 4\, 2026. (link to the whole article (for subscribers: \nhttps://www.volkskrant.nl/columns-van-de-dag/fukuyama-pretendeert-nog-steeds-dat-er-geen-alternatief-is-voor-het-westers-liberalisme~bca83aad/ 								\n				\n					\n				\n		\n					\n				\n				\n									\nHeleen Mees is an economist with a focus on geoeconomics\, an opinion maker and regularly writes about China. She obtained her PhD in 2012 on the consequences of China’s rise for the West.
URL:https://www.vnc-china.nl/en/event/informatie-bijeenkomst-tafeltenniskamp-te-shanghai-26-juli-t-m-9-augustus-2025/
LOCATION:Tafeltennisvereniging Tempo-Team\, President Kennedylaan 5\, Amsterdam
CATEGORIES:Art and culture
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.vnc-china.nl/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/22_0101_CTTCShanghaitrainingssessieyoutube.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20250204T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20250204T210000
DTSTAMP:20241204T154841Z
CREATED:20241009T215338Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241204T154841Z
UID:10000037-1738697400-1738702800@www.vnc-china.nl
SUMMARY:Feb. 4\, 2025 - Bettine Vriesekoop at the University of Twente
DESCRIPTION:by Heleen Mees \n								\n				\n					\n				\n		\n					\n				\n				\n									Suddenly\, Francis Fukuyama\, the philosopher who proclaimed the end of history in 1989\, is hoisted on the shield. Wasn’t he right\, Joost de Vries wondered in Sunday. Sander Schimmelpenninck was more adamant when on Monday morning Fukuyama saw very clearly in The End of History and the Last Man from 1992 that material security would be a driver of extreme right-wing misery instead of protection against it.The reason for the revival is the publication of Fukuyama’s memoirs In the Realm of the Last Man. In it\, Fukuyama argues that he was not so much concerned with the end of history as with the fate of man at the end of history\, in a society in which fundamental contradictions no longer exist. Where politics has been impoverished into technocratic governance and the passions that were once focused on the future have moved to the past.  The last man would resist peace and prosperity out of sheer boredom\, just to experience a bit of drama and conflict again. The problem is that you first need the end of history before you arrive at the last person. Has history really come to an end? Fukuyama suggests so. According to him\, there is no alternative to liberal Western democracy as communism was during the Cold War.  ‘You have religious theocracies\, small Latin American dictatorships. And then there are Russia and China\, which have little more in common than their hostility to the West.” None of these\, according to Fukuyama\, claims to be universally valid for everyone in the world as communism and liberalism did. But ‘socialism with Chinese characteristics’\, as Deng Xiaoping coined it in 1982\, does have universal pretensions.  According to Xi Jinping’s foreign policy doctrine\, which has replaced Deng Xiaoping’s “Hide your strength\, bide your time\,” China wants to use “superpower diplomacy” to create a community with a shared future for humanity. China wants to show that there is an alternative path of modernization. China is putting its money where its mouth is with programs such as the Belt and Road Initiative and the Global Governance Initiative.  The fact that China can now rightly call itself a superpower is partly due to Fukuyama’s essay from 1989 in which he wrote very firmly that we had arrived at a point where we cannot imagine a world that is essentially different from ours and history has therefore come to an end. Fukuyama saw proof of this in the spread of Western consumer culture\, in particular the fact that color televisions could be found everywhere in China.  								\n				\n					\n				\n		\n					\n				\n				\n									This is the first part of Heleen Mees’ column in the Volkskrant of October 4\, 2026. (link to the whole article (for subscribers: \nhttps://www.volkskrant.nl/columns-van-de-dag/fukuyama-pretendeert-nog-steeds-dat-er-geen-alternatief-is-voor-het-westers-liberalisme~bca83aad/ 								\n				\n					\n				\n		\n					\n				\n				\n									\nHeleen Mees is an economist with a focus on geoeconomics\, an opinion maker and regularly writes about China. She obtained her PhD in 2012 on the consequences of China’s rise for the West.
URL:https://www.vnc-china.nl/en/event/feb-4-2025-bettine-vriesekoop-at-the-university-of-twente/
CATEGORIES:Education and science
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.vnc-china.nl/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Jubileumartikel-interview-met-Bettine-Vriesekoop.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20250109T140000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20250109T150000
DTSTAMP:20241219T180903Z
CREATED:20241203T130909Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241219T180903Z
UID:10000036-1736431200-1736434800@www.vnc-china.nl
SUMMARY:Visit the 'Wu Zetian' exhibition with VNC
DESCRIPTION:by Heleen Mees \n								\n				\n					\n				\n		\n					\n				\n				\n									Suddenly\, Francis Fukuyama\, the philosopher who proclaimed the end of history in 1989\, is hoisted on the shield. Wasn’t he right\, Joost de Vries wondered in Sunday. Sander Schimmelpenninck was more adamant when on Monday morning Fukuyama saw very clearly in The End of History and the Last Man from 1992 that material security would be a driver of extreme right-wing misery instead of protection against it.The reason for the revival is the publication of Fukuyama’s memoirs In the Realm of the Last Man. In it\, Fukuyama argues that he was not so much concerned with the end of history as with the fate of man at the end of history\, in a society in which fundamental contradictions no longer exist. Where politics has been impoverished into technocratic governance and the passions that were once focused on the future have moved to the past.  The last man would resist peace and prosperity out of sheer boredom\, just to experience a bit of drama and conflict again. The problem is that you first need the end of history before you arrive at the last person. Has history really come to an end? Fukuyama suggests so. According to him\, there is no alternative to liberal Western democracy as communism was during the Cold War.  ‘You have religious theocracies\, small Latin American dictatorships. And then there are Russia and China\, which have little more in common than their hostility to the West.” None of these\, according to Fukuyama\, claims to be universally valid for everyone in the world as communism and liberalism did. But ‘socialism with Chinese characteristics’\, as Deng Xiaoping coined it in 1982\, does have universal pretensions.  According to Xi Jinping’s foreign policy doctrine\, which has replaced Deng Xiaoping’s “Hide your strength\, bide your time\,” China wants to use “superpower diplomacy” to create a community with a shared future for humanity. China wants to show that there is an alternative path of modernization. China is putting its money where its mouth is with programs such as the Belt and Road Initiative and the Global Governance Initiative.  The fact that China can now rightly call itself a superpower is partly due to Fukuyama’s essay from 1989 in which he wrote very firmly that we had arrived at a point where we cannot imagine a world that is essentially different from ours and history has therefore come to an end. Fukuyama saw proof of this in the spread of Western consumer culture\, in particular the fact that color televisions could be found everywhere in China.  								\n				\n					\n				\n		\n					\n				\n				\n									This is the first part of Heleen Mees’ column in the Volkskrant of October 4\, 2026. (link to the whole article (for subscribers: \nhttps://www.volkskrant.nl/columns-van-de-dag/fukuyama-pretendeert-nog-steeds-dat-er-geen-alternatief-is-voor-het-westers-liberalisme~bca83aad/ 								\n				\n					\n				\n		\n					\n				\n				\n									\nHeleen Mees is an economist with a focus on geoeconomics\, an opinion maker and regularly writes about China. She obtained her PhD in 2012 on the consequences of China’s rise for the West.
URL:https://www.vnc-china.nl/en/event/visit-the-wu-zetian-exhibition-with-vnc/
LOCATION:Prinsessehof\, Grote Kerkstraat 9\, Leeuwarden\, 8911 DZ
CATEGORIES:Art and culture
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.vnc-china.nl/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Wu-Zetian-hires-final-B20086-12-AC-1.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20241215T140000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20241215T170000
DTSTAMP:20241219T173840Z
CREATED:20241109T110729Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241219T173840Z
UID:10000035-1734271200-1734282000@www.vnc-china.nl
SUMMARY:Mahjong Meet-Up
DESCRIPTION:by Heleen Mees \n								\n				\n					\n				\n		\n					\n				\n				\n									Suddenly\, Francis Fukuyama\, the philosopher who proclaimed the end of history in 1989\, is hoisted on the shield. Wasn’t he right\, Joost de Vries wondered in Sunday. Sander Schimmelpenninck was more adamant when on Monday morning Fukuyama saw very clearly in The End of History and the Last Man from 1992 that material security would be a driver of extreme right-wing misery instead of protection against it.The reason for the revival is the publication of Fukuyama’s memoirs In the Realm of the Last Man. In it\, Fukuyama argues that he was not so much concerned with the end of history as with the fate of man at the end of history\, in a society in which fundamental contradictions no longer exist. Where politics has been impoverished into technocratic governance and the passions that were once focused on the future have moved to the past.  The last man would resist peace and prosperity out of sheer boredom\, just to experience a bit of drama and conflict again. The problem is that you first need the end of history before you arrive at the last person. Has history really come to an end? Fukuyama suggests so. According to him\, there is no alternative to liberal Western democracy as communism was during the Cold War.  ‘You have religious theocracies\, small Latin American dictatorships. And then there are Russia and China\, which have little more in common than their hostility to the West.” None of these\, according to Fukuyama\, claims to be universally valid for everyone in the world as communism and liberalism did. But ‘socialism with Chinese characteristics’\, as Deng Xiaoping coined it in 1982\, does have universal pretensions.  According to Xi Jinping’s foreign policy doctrine\, which has replaced Deng Xiaoping’s “Hide your strength\, bide your time\,” China wants to use “superpower diplomacy” to create a community with a shared future for humanity. China wants to show that there is an alternative path of modernization. China is putting its money where its mouth is with programs such as the Belt and Road Initiative and the Global Governance Initiative.  The fact that China can now rightly call itself a superpower is partly due to Fukuyama’s essay from 1989 in which he wrote very firmly that we had arrived at a point where we cannot imagine a world that is essentially different from ours and history has therefore come to an end. Fukuyama saw proof of this in the spread of Western consumer culture\, in particular the fact that color televisions could be found everywhere in China.  								\n				\n					\n				\n		\n					\n				\n				\n									This is the first part of Heleen Mees’ column in the Volkskrant of October 4\, 2026. (link to the whole article (for subscribers: \nhttps://www.volkskrant.nl/columns-van-de-dag/fukuyama-pretendeert-nog-steeds-dat-er-geen-alternatief-is-voor-het-westers-liberalisme~bca83aad/ 								\n				\n					\n				\n		\n					\n				\n				\n									\nHeleen Mees is an economist with a focus on geoeconomics\, an opinion maker and regularly writes about China. She obtained her PhD in 2012 on the consequences of China’s rise for the West.
URL:https://www.vnc-china.nl/en/event/mahjong-meet-up/
LOCATION:Zijp 25\, Zijpendaalseweg 25\, Arnhem\, Zijpendaalseweg 25\, arnhem\, Netherlands
CATEGORIES:Art and culture
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://www.vnc-china.nl/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Mahjong-Tournament-2100x920-1.webp
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20241212T140000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20241212T150000
DTSTAMP:20241112T143306Z
CREATED:20241112T143306Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241112T143306Z
UID:10000034-1734012000-1734015600@www.vnc-china.nl
SUMMARY:Demons and Dragons exhibition
DESCRIPTION:by Heleen Mees \n								\n				\n					\n				\n		\n					\n				\n				\n									Suddenly\, Francis Fukuyama\, the philosopher who proclaimed the end of history in 1989\, is hoisted on the shield. Wasn’t he right\, Joost de Vries wondered in Sunday. Sander Schimmelpenninck was more adamant when on Monday morning Fukuyama saw very clearly in The End of History and the Last Man from 1992 that material security would be a driver of extreme right-wing misery instead of protection against it.The reason for the revival is the publication of Fukuyama’s memoirs In the Realm of the Last Man. In it\, Fukuyama argues that he was not so much concerned with the end of history as with the fate of man at the end of history\, in a society in which fundamental contradictions no longer exist. Where politics has been impoverished into technocratic governance and the passions that were once focused on the future have moved to the past.  The last man would resist peace and prosperity out of sheer boredom\, just to experience a bit of drama and conflict again. The problem is that you first need the end of history before you arrive at the last person. Has history really come to an end? Fukuyama suggests so. According to him\, there is no alternative to liberal Western democracy as communism was during the Cold War.  ‘You have religious theocracies\, small Latin American dictatorships. And then there are Russia and China\, which have little more in common than their hostility to the West.” None of these\, according to Fukuyama\, claims to be universally valid for everyone in the world as communism and liberalism did. But ‘socialism with Chinese characteristics’\, as Deng Xiaoping coined it in 1982\, does have universal pretensions.  According to Xi Jinping’s foreign policy doctrine\, which has replaced Deng Xiaoping’s “Hide your strength\, bide your time\,” China wants to use “superpower diplomacy” to create a community with a shared future for humanity. China wants to show that there is an alternative path of modernization. China is putting its money where its mouth is with programs such as the Belt and Road Initiative and the Global Governance Initiative.  The fact that China can now rightly call itself a superpower is partly due to Fukuyama’s essay from 1989 in which he wrote very firmly that we had arrived at a point where we cannot imagine a world that is essentially different from ours and history has therefore come to an end. Fukuyama saw proof of this in the spread of Western consumer culture\, in particular the fact that color televisions could be found everywhere in China.  								\n				\n					\n				\n		\n					\n				\n				\n									This is the first part of Heleen Mees’ column in the Volkskrant of October 4\, 2026. (link to the whole article (for subscribers: \nhttps://www.volkskrant.nl/columns-van-de-dag/fukuyama-pretendeert-nog-steeds-dat-er-geen-alternatief-is-voor-het-westers-liberalisme~bca83aad/ 								\n				\n					\n				\n		\n					\n				\n				\n									\nHeleen Mees is an economist with a focus on geoeconomics\, an opinion maker and regularly writes about China. She obtained her PhD in 2012 on the consequences of China’s rise for the West.
URL:https://www.vnc-china.nl/en/event/demons-and-dragons-exhibition/
LOCATION:Groninger Museum\, Museumeiland 1\, Groningen\, Groningen\, 9711 ME\, Netherlands
CATEGORIES:Art and culture
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.vnc-china.nl/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/image002.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20241209T170000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20241209T190000
DTSTAMP:20241120T154521Z
CREATED:20241120T154521Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241120T154521Z
UID:10000033-1733763600-1733770800@www.vnc-china.nl
SUMMARY:China Cafe - China Webshops update
DESCRIPTION:by Heleen Mees \n								\n				\n					\n				\n		\n					\n				\n				\n									Suddenly\, Francis Fukuyama\, the philosopher who proclaimed the end of history in 1989\, is hoisted on the shield. Wasn’t he right\, Joost de Vries wondered in Sunday. Sander Schimmelpenninck was more adamant when on Monday morning Fukuyama saw very clearly in The End of History and the Last Man from 1992 that material security would be a driver of extreme right-wing misery instead of protection against it.The reason for the revival is the publication of Fukuyama’s memoirs In the Realm of the Last Man. In it\, Fukuyama argues that he was not so much concerned with the end of history as with the fate of man at the end of history\, in a society in which fundamental contradictions no longer exist. Where politics has been impoverished into technocratic governance and the passions that were once focused on the future have moved to the past.  The last man would resist peace and prosperity out of sheer boredom\, just to experience a bit of drama and conflict again. The problem is that you first need the end of history before you arrive at the last person. Has history really come to an end? Fukuyama suggests so. According to him\, there is no alternative to liberal Western democracy as communism was during the Cold War.  ‘You have religious theocracies\, small Latin American dictatorships. And then there are Russia and China\, which have little more in common than their hostility to the West.” None of these\, according to Fukuyama\, claims to be universally valid for everyone in the world as communism and liberalism did. But ‘socialism with Chinese characteristics’\, as Deng Xiaoping coined it in 1982\, does have universal pretensions.  According to Xi Jinping’s foreign policy doctrine\, which has replaced Deng Xiaoping’s “Hide your strength\, bide your time\,” China wants to use “superpower diplomacy” to create a community with a shared future for humanity. China wants to show that there is an alternative path of modernization. China is putting its money where its mouth is with programs such as the Belt and Road Initiative and the Global Governance Initiative.  The fact that China can now rightly call itself a superpower is partly due to Fukuyama’s essay from 1989 in which he wrote very firmly that we had arrived at a point where we cannot imagine a world that is essentially different from ours and history has therefore come to an end. Fukuyama saw proof of this in the spread of Western consumer culture\, in particular the fact that color televisions could be found everywhere in China.  								\n				\n					\n				\n		\n					\n				\n				\n									This is the first part of Heleen Mees’ column in the Volkskrant of October 4\, 2026. (link to the whole article (for subscribers: \nhttps://www.volkskrant.nl/columns-van-de-dag/fukuyama-pretendeert-nog-steeds-dat-er-geen-alternatief-is-voor-het-westers-liberalisme~bca83aad/ 								\n				\n					\n				\n		\n					\n				\n				\n									\nHeleen Mees is an economist with a focus on geoeconomics\, an opinion maker and regularly writes about China. She obtained her PhD in 2012 on the consequences of China’s rise for the West.
URL:https://www.vnc-china.nl/en/event/china-cafe-china-webshops-update/
LOCATION:De Utrechter Stadsbrasserie en Bar\, Vredenburg 40\, Utrecht\, 3511 BD
CATEGORIES:Art and culture,China Cafe calendar
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.vnc-china.nl/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/China-Cafe-9-december-evenemet.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20241201T120000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20250131T170000
DTSTAMP:20241120T125556Z
CREATED:20241120T125556Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241120T125556Z
UID:10000031-1733054400-1738342800@www.vnc-china.nl
SUMMARY:River of time - Ma Hui
DESCRIPTION:by Heleen Mees \n								\n				\n					\n				\n		\n					\n				\n				\n									Suddenly\, Francis Fukuyama\, the philosopher who proclaimed the end of history in 1989\, is hoisted on the shield. Wasn’t he right\, Joost de Vries wondered in Sunday. Sander Schimmelpenninck was more adamant when on Monday morning Fukuyama saw very clearly in The End of History and the Last Man from 1992 that material security would be a driver of extreme right-wing misery instead of protection against it.The reason for the revival is the publication of Fukuyama’s memoirs In the Realm of the Last Man. In it\, Fukuyama argues that he was not so much concerned with the end of history as with the fate of man at the end of history\, in a society in which fundamental contradictions no longer exist. Where politics has been impoverished into technocratic governance and the passions that were once focused on the future have moved to the past.  The last man would resist peace and prosperity out of sheer boredom\, just to experience a bit of drama and conflict again. The problem is that you first need the end of history before you arrive at the last person. Has history really come to an end? Fukuyama suggests so. According to him\, there is no alternative to liberal Western democracy as communism was during the Cold War.  ‘You have religious theocracies\, small Latin American dictatorships. And then there are Russia and China\, which have little more in common than their hostility to the West.” None of these\, according to Fukuyama\, claims to be universally valid for everyone in the world as communism and liberalism did. But ‘socialism with Chinese characteristics’\, as Deng Xiaoping coined it in 1982\, does have universal pretensions.  According to Xi Jinping’s foreign policy doctrine\, which has replaced Deng Xiaoping’s “Hide your strength\, bide your time\,” China wants to use “superpower diplomacy” to create a community with a shared future for humanity. China wants to show that there is an alternative path of modernization. China is putting its money where its mouth is with programs such as the Belt and Road Initiative and the Global Governance Initiative.  The fact that China can now rightly call itself a superpower is partly due to Fukuyama’s essay from 1989 in which he wrote very firmly that we had arrived at a point where we cannot imagine a world that is essentially different from ours and history has therefore come to an end. Fukuyama saw proof of this in the spread of Western consumer culture\, in particular the fact that color televisions could be found everywhere in China.  								\n				\n					\n				\n		\n					\n				\n				\n									This is the first part of Heleen Mees’ column in the Volkskrant of October 4\, 2026. (link to the whole article (for subscribers: \nhttps://www.volkskrant.nl/columns-van-de-dag/fukuyama-pretendeert-nog-steeds-dat-er-geen-alternatief-is-voor-het-westers-liberalisme~bca83aad/ 								\n				\n					\n				\n		\n					\n				\n				\n									\nHeleen Mees is an economist with a focus on geoeconomics\, an opinion maker and regularly writes about China. She obtained her PhD in 2012 on the consequences of China’s rise for the West.
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