The relationship between the U.S. and China is typically framed as competitive and even adversarial. Each superpower brings strengths and weaknesses to how it approaches its society, business and growth. In his new book, Breakneck: China's Quest to Engineer the Future, author and China expert Dan Wang, frames the key differences between the two superpowers. He argues that China can be understood as an "engineering state" that builds at breakneck speed regardless of public opinion or dissent. He says the U.S., on the other hand, is a "lawyerly society" that offers civil and environmental protections, but blocks everything, good and bad. On the latest episode of the Bold Names podcast Wang speaks to WSJ’s Christopher Mims about how this framework could help us understand which country ultimately has the upper hand in the current geopolitical and technological arms race. Chapters 0:00 Intro 4:23 China as an engineering state 5:03 U.S. as a lawyerly society 6:55 Shenzhen: “hardware capital of the world” 9:00 High-speed rail in China vs. U.S. 11:30 State of American manufacturing 12:40 Why is manufacturing dominance important? 17:19 What are the excesses of China’s engineering state? 20:10 How is the engineering state evolving? 22:25 How does the U.S. move forward? 25:30 What can we learn from planner Robert Moses? 28:40 Which superpower will prevail? WSJ’s Bold Names brings you conversations with the leaders of the bold-named companies featured in the pages of The Wall Street Journal. Hosts Tim Higgins and Christopher Mims speak to CEOs and business leaders in interviews that challenge conventional wisdom and take you inside the decisions being made in the C-suite and beyond. Let us know what you think of the show. Email us at BoldNames@wsj.com #China #Tech #WSJ