Chang Hao, professor of history at Ohio State University, explains that Fairbank's position as a forerunner of modern Chinese studies as well as his scholastic achievements cannot be denied.
對於這點，現任美國俄亥俄州州立大學歷史系教授的張灝提出解釋，他說：「撇開政治不談，費正清『近代中國研究』宗師的地位，以及他的學術成就是不能抹煞的。」