As the United States approaches the 250th anniversary of its founding, the milestone is being viewed through a lens of profound skepticism by China’s leading strategic thinkers. Wu Xinbo, Dean of the Institute of International Studies at Fudan University, argues that while the US has historically dominated the global stage, its leadership is currently undergoing a painful and perhaps irreversible transformation. This decline is not merely a product of shifting economic weights but is rooted in a fundamental erosion of the ideological and moral pillars that once supported American hegemony.
Historically, American global leadership followed a trajectory from the Wilsonian idealism of World War I to the institutional architecture of the post-WWII era. Professor Wu suggests that the genius of American power lay in its ability to package narrow national interests—such as market access and resource security—within a framework of 'progressive' global values like decolonization and free trade. This duality allowed the US to maintain a level of international credibility that traditional colonial powers like Britain and France could not sustain.
However, this historical continuity has reached a breaking point. The tripartite foundation of US leadership—advocacy of ideas, the capacity for action, and international credibility—is now under siege from within. Internal political polarization and the rise of isolationist 'Trumpism' have signaled to the rest of the world that Washington may no longer possess the political will to bear the costs of global stewardship. For Beijing, this shift is not just a transition in policy but a structural collapse of the US-led order.
In the eyes of Chinese analysts, the current era of 'reverse globalization' and intensified geopolitical conflict serves as a catalyst for a global loss of confidence in Washington. The US is increasingly seen as a power that prioritizes its own strategic 'packaging' over genuine global stability. As the 250th anniversary looms, the narrative from Beijing suggests that the 'American Century' is being replaced by a multipolar reality where US leadership is no longer the default, but a contested and diminishing legacy.