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Autocracy 2.0: How China’s Rise Reinvented Tyranny

Foreign Affairs | 2026-02-17 | china_indopacific

Topics: China, United States

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English Summary

The article argues that China's rise demonstrates that authoritarian regimes can achieve technological dynamism and sustained growth through a model termed "smart authoritarianism." This success is attributed not to high GDP per capita, but to robust economic capacity, including strong human capital, infrastructure, and state-directed industrial policy. By selectively relaxing political control to foster innovation, China has become a genuine global competitor to the United States. Policymakers must recognize that this state-guided development model presents a powerful and attractive alternative to traditional Western economic structures.

中文摘要

本文論述中國的崛起證明了威權政權可以透過一種名為「智慧威權主義」(smart authoritarianism)的模式,實現技術動能和持續增長。其成功並非歸因於高人均GDP,而是源於強勁的經濟實力,包括穩健的人力資本、基礎設施,以及國家主導的產業政策。透過選擇性放寬政治控制以促進創新,中國已成為美國真正的全球競爭對手。政策制定者必須認識到,這種國家引導的發展模式,為傳統西方經濟結構提供了一個強大且具吸引力的替代方案。

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