In early 2026, while discussing the subtitle of my book with several friends, some expressed reservations about the phrase Lessons for the West, while others supported it without hesitation. Their reactions reflected a broader question: can the West learn from China in areas such as institutional innovation and technological development when China’s development continues to be widely misunderstood?

As I have argued throughout this article and explore in greater detail in Dragon Innovation, China’s Reform and Opening Up emerged from a period in which the country was searching for its own path to economic development. Although politically aligned with the Soviet Union, China ultimately chose a different institutional trajectory while navigating geopolitical competition between two superpowers.

Today, we may once again be entering an era of profound geopolitical and technological change. As competition over artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing and technological leadership intensifies, understanding how institutions shape innovation has become more important than ever. Shenzhen’s experience suggests that technological leadership is not simply the product of scientific breakthroughs or entrepreneurial talent, but also of institutional experimentation, adaptive governance and the willingness to learn from experience.

Whether other countries ultimately choose to learn from China’s experience remains an open question. However, dismissing China’s development through political or ideological assumptions risks overlooking institutional lessons that may prove increasingly relevant in another era of global transformation.