Breakneck: China does the hard part first
8 hours ago
- #Manufacturing Policy
- #China-US Relations
- #Authoritarianism
- Dan Wang's book 'Breakneck' is praised as one of the best recent books on China and America, highlighting the similarities and differences between the two nations.
- The book discusses China's rapid infrastructure and housing development, comparing it favorably to the U.S., but also notes the dark side of China's engineering society.
- Wang critiques U.S. manufacturing policies and argues that China's industrial success is more natural than policy-driven, though he acknowledges some government influence.
- The book covers China's one-child policy and zero-Covid strategy, detailing their severe social and human costs.
- Wang suggests that Xi Jinping's authoritarian turn has reduced freedoms, though rural and urban perspectives on these changes differ significantly.
- The U.S. is criticized for its approach to competing with China in technology and manufacturing, with policies that may backfire.
- Cultural differences within China, such as between Shenzhen and Beijing, are highlighted to give Western readers a deeper understanding of the country's diversity.