BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//VNC | Vereniging Nederland China - ECPv6.18.0//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-WR-CALNAME:VNC | Vereniging Nederland China X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://www.vnc-china.nl/en/ X-WR-CALDESC:Events for VNC | Vereniging Nederland China REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:Europe/Amsterdam BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+0100 TZOFFSETTO:+0200 TZNAME:CEST DTSTART:20250330T010000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+0200 TZOFFSETTO:+0100 TZNAME:CET DTSTART:20251026T010000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+0100 TZOFFSETTO:+0200 TZNAME:CEST DTSTART:20260329T010000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+0200 TZOFFSETTO:+0100 TZNAME:CET DTSTART:20261025T010000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+0100 TZOFFSETTO:+0200 TZNAME:CEST DTSTART:20270328T010000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+0200 TZOFFSETTO:+0100 TZNAME:CET DTSTART:20271031T010000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20261030T133000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20261030T180000 DTSTAMP:20261009T134500Z CREATED:20261008T115129Z LAST-MODIFIED:20261009T134500Z UID:10000288-1793367000-1793383200@www.vnc-china.nl SUMMARY:From oracle bone to smartphone: 3000 years of Chinese writing 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/from-oracle-bone-to-smartphone-3000-years-of-chinese-writing/ LOCATION:Universiteit Leiden\, Witte Singel 27A\, Leiden CATEGORIES:Education and science,VNC event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.vnc-china.nl/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Van-orakelbot-tot-smartphone.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20261019T180000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20261019T203000 DTSTAMP:20261011T093127Z CREATED:20260921T115435Z LAST-MODIFIED:20261011T093127Z UID:10000289-1792432800-1792441800@www.vnc-china.nl SUMMARY:VNC China Eetclub 14 - Yunnanese dinner 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-eetclub-14-yunnanese-dinner/ LOCATION:Restaurant Yunnan Food\, Strijpsestraat 81\, Eindhoven CATEGORIES:Art and culture,Culture and Society,VNC event 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:20261019T153000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20261019T180000 DTSTAMP:20260930T133216Z CREATED:20260930T125652Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260930T133216Z UID:10000285-1792423800-1792432800@www.vnc-china.nl SUMMARY:Netherlands China Design Symposium at the DDW 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/netherlands-china-design-symposium-at-the-ddw/ LOCATION:Natlab\, Kastanjelaan 500\, Eindhoven\, Netherlands CATEGORIES:Culture and Society,Cultuur en Maatschappij,VNC event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.vnc-china.nl/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/main-poster-nua_1788192765_1920x1080.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20261011T080000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20261025T170000 DTSTAMP:20260326T175757Z CREATED:20260126T135528Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260326T175757Z UID:10000169-1791705600-1792947600@www.vnc-china.nl SUMMARY:Unique VNC Group Tour through China with the theme Healthy Living 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/unique-vnc-group-tour-through-china-with-the-theme-healthy-living/ LOCATION:Online CATEGORIES:Art and culture,Culture and Society,Cultuur en Maatschappij,VNC event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.vnc-china.nl/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/China-Briefing-chinas-fitness-industry.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20261008T170000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20261008T193000 DTSTAMP:20260923T085940Z CREATED:20260923T085940Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260923T085940Z UID:10000281-1791478800-1791487800@www.vnc-china.nl SUMMARY:China Café South; China: still a market full of opportunities? 8 October - Eindhoven 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-south-china-still-a-market-full-of-opportunities-8-october-eindhoven/ LOCATION:Academisch Genootschap AG Eindhoven\, Parklaan 93\, Eindhoven\, Netherlands CATEGORIES:China Cafe calendar,Economics and Business,Economie en zakelijk,VNC event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.vnc-china.nl/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/foto-china-cafe.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20261005T190000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20261005T213000 DTSTAMP:20260914T112546Z CREATED:20260914T112546Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260914T112546Z UID:10000282-1791226800-1791235800@www.vnc-china.nl SUMMARY:Book presentation Garrie van Pinxteren: 'Control and delete. Memories of authoritarian China' 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/book-presentation-garrie-van-pinxteren-control-and-delete-memories-of-authoritarian-china/ LOCATION:Wijnhavengebouw\, The Hague Campus\, Universiteit Leiden\, Wijnhaven 3.46\, Turfmarkt 99\, Den Haag\, Zuid-Holland\, 2511 DP CATEGORIES:China Cafe calendar,Culture and Society,Cultuur en Maatschappij,VNC event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.vnc-china.nl/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Pinxteren-Garrie-van-Control-en-delete-3D.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20261001T140000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20261001T180000 DTSTAMP:20260714T110336Z CREATED:20260714T104707Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260714T110336Z UID:10000253-1790863200-1790877600@www.vnc-china.nl SUMMARY:City walk Maastricht 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/city-walk-maastricht/ LOCATION:stadhuis maastricht\, markt 78\, maastricht\, Netherlands CATEGORIES:Art and culture,Culture and Society,Cultuur en Maatschappij,VNC event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.vnc-china.nl/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/IMG_0388-1.jpeg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20260921T170000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20260921T193000 DTSTAMP:20260914T085819Z CREATED:20260810T130722Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260914T085819Z UID:10000262-1790010000-1790019000@www.vnc-china.nl SUMMARY:September 21st\, China Café about Responsible Business 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/beyond-the-mismatch-building-responsible-business-between-europe-and-china/ LOCATION:De Apotheek\, Catharijnesingel 57\, Utrecht CATEGORIES:China Cafe calendar,Economics and Business,VNC event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.vnc-china.nl/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Verantwoord-Ondernemen-scaled-1.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20260919T110000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20260919T140000 DTSTAMP:20260718T104322Z CREATED:20260718T104322Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260718T104322Z UID:10000255-1789815600-1789826400@www.vnc-china.nl SUMMARY:SAVE-THE-DATE: VNC General Members Meeting (GMM) 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/save-the-date-vnc-general-members-meeting-gmm/ LOCATION:Business School Nederland\, Herenstraat 25\, Buren\, Gelderland\, 4116 BK\, Netherlands CATEGORIES:Art and culture,Culture and Society,Cultuur en Maatschappij,Economics and Business,Economie en zakelijk,Education and science,VNC event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.vnc-china.nl/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/VNC_NL-tekst_900x455px-1.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20260907T190000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20260907T213000 DTSTAMP:20260812T132216Z CREATED:20260812T131244Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260812T132216Z UID:10000264-1788807600-1788816600@www.vnc-china.nl SUMMARY:September 7th\, Between Tradition and Transition - Love\, Sexuality and Intimacy in the Netherlands and China 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/september-7th-between-tradition-and-transition-love-sexuality-and-intimacy-in-the-netherlands-and-china/ LOCATION:Universiteit van Amsterdam\, Roetersstraat 11\, Amsterdam\, 1018WB\, Netherlands CATEGORIES:China Cafe calendar,Economics and Business,VNC event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://www.vnc-china.nl/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/ywmcrpmfdlekzdyia51m.webp END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20260822T110000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20260822T130000 DTSTAMP:20260709T084939Z CREATED:20260709T084939Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260709T084939Z UID:10000250-1787396400-1787403600@www.vnc-china.nl SUMMARY:22 August guided tour of the photo exhibition Flowers in the mirror by Ruben Lundgren 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/22-august-guided-tour-of-the-photo-exhibition-flowers-in-the-mirror-by-ruben-lundgren/ LOCATION:Fotomuseum Den Haag\, Stadhouderslaan 43\, Den Haag\, Zuid-Holland\, 3011dc\, Nederland CATEGORIES:Art and culture,Culture and Society,Cultuur en Maatschappij,VNC event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.vnc-china.nl/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/gH0hGVcg.jpeg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20260820T200000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20260820T210000 DTSTAMP:20260805T185304Z CREATED:20260805T185304Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260805T185304Z UID:10000260-1787256000-1787259600@www.vnc-china.nl SUMMARY:In conversation with the VNC board 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/in-conversation-with-the-vnc-board/ LOCATION:Online CATEGORIES:Art and culture,Culture and Society,Cultuur en Maatschappij,Economics and Business,Economie en zakelijk,Education and science,VNC event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.vnc-china.nl/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/online-meeting.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20260814T180000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20260814T203000 DTSTAMP:20260730T061517Z CREATED:20260728T172607Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260730T061517Z UID:10000257-1786730400-1786739400@www.vnc-china.nl SUMMARY:VNC China Eetclub 13 - Cantonese dinner 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-eetclub-13-cantonese-dinner/ LOCATION:Dimsum King\, Fogostraat 10\, Amsterdam\, Noord-Holland\, 1060 LJ\, Netherlands CATEGORIES:Art and culture,Culture and Society,VNC event 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:20260726T080000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20260808T170000 DTSTAMP:20260312T101431Z CREATED:20260312T101431Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260312T101431Z UID:10000208-1785052800-1786208400@www.vnc-china.nl SUMMARY:Table tennis camp Shanghai with Bettine Vriesekoop 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/table-tennis-camp-shanghai-with-bettine-vriesekoop/ LOCATION:Tafeltennisvereniging Tempo-Team\, President Kennedylaan 5\, Amsterdam CATEGORIES:Art and culture,Culture and Society,VNC event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.vnc-china.nl/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/22_0101_CTTCShanghaitrainingssessieyoutube.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20260710T183000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20260710T183000 DTSTAMP:20260702T120123Z CREATED:20260702T120123Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260702T120123Z UID:10000247-1783708200-1783708200@www.vnc-china.nl SUMMARY:VNC China Eetclub - July 10 in Rotterdam 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-eetclub-july-10-in-rotterdam/ LOCATION:Sansan Restaurant Sichuan Cuisine\, Hang 33\, Rotterdam\, 3011 GG CATEGORIES:Art and culture,China Cafe calendar,Culture and Society,Cultuur en Maatschappij,VNC event 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:20260627T103000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20260627T150000 DTSTAMP:20260618T154540Z CREATED:20260618T071654Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260618T154540Z UID:10000244-1782556200-1782572400@www.vnc-china.nl SUMMARY:Lecture: "The Classical Chinese Gardens". With Chinese 3-course lunch in ... Brabant! Saturday 27 June. 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/lecture-the-classical-chinese-gardens-with-chinese-3-course-lunch-in-brabant-saturday-27-june/ CATEGORIES:Culture and Society,Cultuur en Maatschappij,Partner ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.vnc-china.nl/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/CercisChinensisAvondale-PQqIeD.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Histotainment lezingen":MAILTO:info@histotainment.nl END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20260620T100000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20260620T150000 DTSTAMP:20260528T160956Z CREATED:20260528T152820Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260528T160956Z UID:10000240-1781949600-1781967600@www.vnc-china.nl SUMMARY:FLAG DAY SATURDAY 20 JUNE SCHEVENINGEN 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/flag-day-saturday-20-june-scheveningen/ LOCATION:2e haven van Scheveningen\, Dr. Lelykade 28\, Scheveningen\, Zuid Holland\, Netherlands CATEGORIES:Culture and Society,Cultuur en Maatschappij,Economics and Business,Economie en zakelijk,VNC event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.vnc-china.nl/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Vlaggetjesdag.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20260619T170000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20260619T190000 DTSTAMP:20260527T145332Z CREATED:20260526T161551Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260527T145332Z UID:10000238-1781888400-1781895600@www.vnc-china.nl SUMMARY:BIGGEST HERRING PARTY FRIDAY 19 JUNE 2026 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/biggest-herring-party-friday-19-june-2026/ LOCATION:2e haven van Scheveningen\, Dr. Lelykade 28\, Scheveningen\, Zuid Holland\, Netherlands CATEGORIES:Culture and Society,Cultuur en Maatschappij,Economics and Business,Economie en zakelijk,VNC event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.vnc-china.nl/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Afbeelding1.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20260616T183000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20260616T210000 DTSTAMP:20260601T143726Z CREATED:20260601T143726Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260601T143726Z UID:10000242-1781634600-1781643600@www.vnc-china.nl SUMMARY:VNC China Eetclub Tuesday 16 June in The Hague 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-eetclub-tuesday-16-june-in-the-hague/ LOCATION:Ming Dynasty\, Spui 170\, Den Haag\, Netherlands CATEGORIES:Art and culture,Culture and Society,Cultuur en Maatschappij,VNC event 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:20260608T170000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20260608T190000 DTSTAMP:20260416T100418Z CREATED:20260416T095120Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260416T100418Z UID:10000220-1780938000-1780945200@www.vnc-china.nl SUMMARY:June 8\, 2026 China Café: From Real Estate Crisis to Export Boom: China's New Growth Engine 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/june-8-2026-china-cafe-from-real-estate-crisis-to-export-boom-chinas-new-growth-engine/ LOCATION:De Utrechter Stadsbrasserie en Bar\, Vredenburg 40\, Utrecht\, 3511 BD CATEGORIES:Economics and Business,VNC event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.vnc-china.nl/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/foto-china-cafe.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20260601T184500 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20260601T220000 DTSTAMP:20260508T115145Z CREATED:20260325T141656Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260508T115145Z UID:10000210-1780339500-1780351200@www.vnc-china.nl SUMMARY:VNC China Pub Quiz! 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-pub-quiz/ 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:20260521T183000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20260521T203000 DTSTAMP:20260501T112644Z CREATED:20260428T100947Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260501T112644Z UID:10000224-1779388200-1779395400@www.vnc-china.nl SUMMARY:VNC China Eetclub Thursday 21 May in Rotterdam 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-eetclub-donderdag-21-mei-in-rotterdam/ LOCATION:Tang Dynastie Handpulled Noodle Bar\, westkruiskade 32b\, rotterdam\, Netherlands CATEGORIES:Art and culture,Culture and Society,Cultuur en Maatschappij,VNC event 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:20260518T170000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20260518T193000 DTSTAMP:20260512T134816Z CREATED:20260424T124147Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260512T134816Z UID:10000222-1779123600-1779132600@www.vnc-china.nl SUMMARY:China Café South; Robots uncovered\, what’s real\, what’s hype in Europe and China 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-south-robots-uncovered-whats-real-whats-hype-in-europe-and-china/ LOCATION:Academisch Genootschap AG Eindhoven\, Parklaan 93\, Eindhoven\, Netherlands CATEGORIES:China Cafe calendar,Economics and Business,Economie en zakelijk,VNC event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.vnc-china.nl/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/foto-china-cafe.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260518 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260610 DTSTAMP:20260502T104159Z CREATED:20260501T201049Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260502T104159Z UID:10000227-1779062400-1781049599@www.vnc-china.nl SUMMARY:5 special screenings of "More than Babi Pangang" 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/5-special-screenings-of-more-than-babi-pangang/ LOCATION:Nederland\, Netherlands CATEGORIES:Art and culture,Culture and Society,Cultuur en Maatschappij,VNC event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.vnc-china.nl/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/babipangang.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20260517T150000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20260517T160000 DTSTAMP:20260501T112731Z CREATED:20260501T112731Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260501T112731Z UID:10000228-1779030000-1779033600@www.vnc-china.nl SUMMARY:Artist Talk Ruben Lundgren and Garrie van Pinxteren 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/artist-talk-ruben-lundgren-and-garrie-van-pinxteren/ CATEGORIES:Cultuur en Maatschappij,Partner ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.vnc-china.nl/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Nieuwe-cover-file-FINAL-67-small-13HPkj.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20260513T170000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20260513T180000 DTSTAMP:20260504T204041Z CREATED:20260504T201539Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260504T204041Z UID:10000230-1778691600-1778695200@www.vnc-china.nl SUMMARY:Zhejiang Trade Delegation 2026 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/zhejiang-trade-delegation-2026/ LOCATION:DCTEPA\, Sloterweg 296\, Badhoevedorp\, Noord-Holland\, 1171VH\, Nederland CATEGORIES:Economie en zakelijk,Partner ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.vnc-china.nl/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/44bd5d598c56a0f7e5482c85f2a6843e-XO3SlG.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="DCTEPA (Dutch China Trade and Economic Promotion Association)":MAILTO:dctepa@outlook.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20260512T153000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20260512T170000 DTSTAMP:20260504T202234Z CREATED:20260504T202234Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260504T202234Z UID:10000232-1778599800-1778605200@www.vnc-china.nl SUMMARY:From China with Love 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/from-china-with-love/ LOCATION:Wijnhavengebouw\, The Hague Campus\, Universiteit Leiden\, Wijnhaven 3.46\, Turfmarkt 99\, Den Haag\, Zuid-Holland\, 2511 DP CATEGORIES:Education and science,Partner ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.vnc-china.nl/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/CKN-From-China-with-Love-1-uFOEg7.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Leiden Asia Centre":MAILTO:info@leidenasiacentre.nl END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20260430T150000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20260430T164500 DTSTAMP:20260416T111154Z CREATED:20260414T102343Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260416T111154Z UID:10000217-1777561200-1777567500@www.vnc-china.nl SUMMARY:Lecture by Dr. Ping Foong: ‘To Amuse\, to Amass\, and to Multiply: The Art and Activism of Ai Weiwei’ 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/lecture-by-dr-ping-foong-to-amuse-to-amass-and-to-multiply-the-art-and-activism-of-ai-weiwei/ LOCATION:Wereldmuseum Amsterdam\, Linnaeusstraat 2\, Amsterdam\, Noord-Holland\, 1092 CK\, Nederland CATEGORIES:Cultuur en Maatschappij,Partner ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.vnc-china.nl/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/SAM2025_AiWeiwei_062c-1024x683-1.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Wereldmuseum Amsterdam":MAILTO:willemijn.vannoord@wereldmuseum.nl END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20260425T140000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20260425T163000 DTSTAMP:20260403T155114Z CREATED:20260312T093905Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260403T155114Z UID:10000209-1777125600-1777134600@www.vnc-china.nl SUMMARY:Bicycle Tour: The Chinese Man Who Fell Out the Window and Disappeared 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/bike-tour-the-chinese-who-fell-out-of-the-window-and-disappeared/ LOCATION:restaurant gember\, Stadhouderslaan 43\, Den Haag CATEGORIES:Art and culture,Culture and Society,Cultuur en Maatschappij,VNC event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.vnc-china.nl/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Afbeelding1.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20260424T094500 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20260424T123000 DTSTAMP:20260416T101310Z CREATED:20260409T153520Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260416T101310Z UID:10000215-1777023900-1777033800@www.vnc-china.nl SUMMARY:Wuxi Huishan (Amsterdam) Industrial Cooperation Symposium 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/wuxi-huishan-amsterdam-industrial-cooperation-symposium/ CATEGORIES:Economie en zakelijk,Partner ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.vnc-china.nl/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/20260330-Wuxi-Symposium-20260424-scaled.png END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR