Can the US Beat China’s Engineering State?

From high-speed rail to electric cars to batteries to AI, it’s clear that China can operate with incredible speed at massive scale. Can the US still compete?We sat down with Dan Wang, a Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution and the author of “Breakneck: China’s Quest to Engineer the Future” to discuss. Timecodes: 0:00  Introduction1:36   Lawyers vs. Engineers: Cultural and Economic Differences4:06  Urban and Rural Life: Comparing Infrastructure7:20  Barriers to Progress: Regulation and Governance11:00  Industrial Policy and Public-Private Partnerships14:20  The Double-Edged Sword of Legal and Engineering Mindsets16:50  Social Engineering and Policy in China23:00  Competition, Intellectual Property, and Business Culture27:10  Manufacturing, Scale, and Global Supply Chains36:00  Lessons from Japan and Korea41:30  Complacency, Quality, and the Future of Competition48:45  Strategic Resources and Industrial Policy54:00  Foreign Policy: Engineering Diplomacy vs. Alliances59:00  Taiwan, Demographics, and the Future of US-China Relations Resources:Follow Dan on X: https://x.com/danwwangRead Dan’s blog: https://danwang.co/Buy Breakneck on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1324106034/Follow Steven on X: https://x.com/stevesi Stay Updated:Find a16z on YouTube: YouTubeFind a16z on XFind a16z on LinkedInListen to the a16z Show on SpotifyListen to the a16z Show on Apple PodcastsFollow our host: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.