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Reflecting on articles that challenged comfortable narratives.
Frans Vandenbosch 方腾波 29/12/2026
The year 2025 stripped away our last illusions as European mirrors reflected only a diminished and unflattering truth. Global events have forced us to acknowledge our fallen stature, a humbling epiphany and discard the myth of our inherent superiority.
As we approach the culmination of 2025, I want to distil the lessons from the nearly fifty articles I have shared with you. My 2024 method was sporadic, defined by inspired clusters of writing followed by weeks of quiet. This year 2025, I implemented a decisive new strategy: a disciplined, methodical cadence of one article per week. The unwavering commitment to consistency has delivered a payoff. The result is a significant surge in engagement, with my readership growing to nearly double what they were before.
The top five of the most popular articles
Without any further ado, this is the top five of the most read articles in 2025:
1. Banished for truth.
Whistle-blowers, dissidents, and exiles fighting for free speech. 26/03/2025
Electrifying our audience, this article emerged as our most widely read piece by a significant margin. It delivered a jarring revelation to many of my readers: the unsettling reality of political refugees originating from Western nations. My report casts an unflinching spotlight on these individuals, presenting a definitive list of 30 such victims of western persecution. It reveals exactly who they are, where they have sought refuge, and the compelling reasons they now live in voluntary exile, separated from their families and homelands. The article’s profound impact was further amplified when it was republished by Thorsten J. Pattberg, PhD. as
The World’s Top Dissidents (In 2025)
Whistle-Blowers, Dissidents, and Exiles Fighting for Free Speech
2. Artificial Intelligence and high IQ in the geopolitical cognitive arena.
Assessing dominance, policy impacts, and the future of human-machine strategic competition. 04/03/2025
The number two apparently has caused great interest because of the scaremongering of our western media about the future of Artificial Intelligence. With the overwhelming success of DeepSeek at the beginning of 2025, people all of a sudden discovered the broad implications of AI. This article was part of a series of 14 articles about AI in China and in the West.
The article was republished by The China Academy as:
Are Highly Intelligent Humans Still Superior to AI?
How Western audiences reveal their programmed biases when confronted with objective analysis of Chinese politics. 22/07/2025
This article at the third place, closely behind the number two was an attempt trying to understand the heated (and often hate-filled) accusations, thinly veiled as questions, that I get over me after every lecture that I have given about Politics in China.
At The China Academy they judged my article as valuable enough to republish it as:
The Accusatorial Reflex
Final reflections on an extraordinary travel. 25/11/2025
This extraordinary eleven-part Asia journey spanning September to November 2025 traverses Beijing, Shenyang, Dandong, Shanghai, Nanjing, Taiwan, and Thailand, documenting China’s remarkable transformation and infrastructure superiority. I powerfully condemn historical Western imperialism, particularly the 1860 destruction of Yuanmingyuan, whilst celebrating China’s technological achievements including high-speed rail, cashless society, and electric vehicles. Boeing’s appalling safety record receives scathing criticism. Sharp comparisons reveal China’s dramatically lower utility costs versus Europe. I’m advocating peaceful Taiwan reunification, critique Taiwan’s infrastructure stagnation and observe the declining Western presence in China. This comprehensive account champions Chinese development, healthcare superiority and cultural preservation whilst unflinchingly exposing Western shortcomings.
It was high time to cut the cord and to end a toxic dependency. 02/06/2025
In this article, I am recounting my decoupling from Western products and services. Not for perfection or ideological purity. Rather, I affirm the possibility of meaningful change at the individual level. By replacing Microsoft with Deepin, Gmail with Netease, SWIFT with CIPS, and Gilette with FlyDear, I have not only reshaped my consumption habits, but I have also reclaimed a measure of sovereignty. This journey has not been without its challenges, but the rewards are immense: financial savings, digital privacy, peace of mind, cultural clarity and geopolitical alignment with a more balanced world order.
This article got praise from all sides of the world.
The China Academy and others republished it as:
Decoupled and undefeated: a declaration of independence from the western grip.
The uncomfortable mirror: a writer’s mandate
Let’s be blunt: most people avoid true reflection. They recoil when held to the light. While applause is easily earned by echoing familiar beliefs, my purpose is not to comfort but to challenge. I am here to shatter echo chambers and push boundaries, compelling readers to confront a reality far broader and more complex than their preconceived worldviews allow.
This is not an incidental tension; it is the core of the work. I will continue to provide an unflinching analysis of China, its dynamism, its people, its society, and its political landscape. And with conviction, I will highlight those critical areas where the West would do well to learn from China’s example.
By critically examining terms like ‘freedom’, ‘development’ and ‘modernity’, I aim to reveal our cultural assumptions and limitations. This will challenge my readers to consider how language itself can shape and confine our understanding of the world.
I will continue to honestly compare the inherent trade-offs of different societal models. I seek to illuminate the compromises each system makes, whether prioritising stability, liberty, equity or innovation. The goal is to foster a more nuanced conversation that moves beyond simplistic moral dichotomies.
As I have done in the past year, I will commit to seeking out and giving platform to contested narratives within societies. This means engaging with perspectives that diverge from mainstream or official accounts, not to sensationalise but to present a fuller, more complex portrait of people and their lived experiences.
As always, my methodology will be transparent, rooted in evidence and historical context. This rigour is the foundation for any challenging perspective that I present.
My goal is not to flatter or condemn, but to illuminate. Even when the reflection is unsettling.
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本文英文: 2025年：当镜子不再奉承。
Dit artikel in het Nederlands: Het jaar 2025: toen spiegels niet meer flatteerden.
