If Americans Are Lawyers and Chinese Are Engineers, Who Is Going to Win?

The United States and China are constantly looking for a leg up in their rivalry for geopolitical primacy. But what if the real advantage lies in adopting a bit of the other’s culture? A new book makes the case that while China has become an engineering state obsessed with building, the United States has become a lawyerly society focused on procedures and blocking. Can they learn from each other? Author and scholar Dan Wang sits down with Ravi Agrawal to discuss his new book, Breakneck: China’s Quest to Engineer the Future. Dan Wang: Breakneck: China’s Quest to Engineer the Future Ravi Agrawal: Why China’s Tech Dominance Is Not Inevitable Bob Davis: America’s Flailing Industrial Policy Can Take Lessons From China James Palmer: A Guide to Censorship in China Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices