Azeem Azhar's Exponential View Why China builds while America debates, with Dan Wang
122 snips
Oct 1, 2025 
In this enlightening discussion, Dan Wang, a China technology analyst and author of "Breakneck: China’s Quest to Engineer the Future," shares insights on China's distinction as an engineering state. He contrasts it with the lawyerly systems of the US and UK, highlighting China's rapid industrial advancements and pro-engineering culture. Wang delves into the implications of market competition, the impact of Zero COVID, and misconceptions Americans have about China's tech journey. He emphasizes the importance of process knowledge and how it shapes innovation and infrastructure.
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Engineering State Drives China’s Rapid Buildout
- Dan Wang argues China functions as an "engineering state" that intentionally engineers environment, economy, and society.
- This approach produces rapid infrastructure and industrial outcomes but can create social costs and overbuilding.
Regional Competition Fuels Practical Outcomes
- Competition between firms and regional governments keeps China's engineering state dynamic and hard to centrally control.
- That competition helps entrepreneurial successes like BYD despite heavy state involvement.
Firsthand Account Of Zero COVID
- Dan Wang lived through China's three-year zero COVID policy and describes it as three acts: initial shock, strict control, and abrupt exit.
- He recounts extreme measures like 25 million people locked down in Shanghai for ten weeks.
