Book Review: Breakneck - China's Quest to Engineer the Future" by Dan Wang

I reviewed the fascinating book "Apple in China: The Capture of the World's Greatest Company" by Patrick McGee. I was amazed by how Apple has built its dependence on China throughout the years and also paid and educated the Chinese technology industry to become a manufacturing giant. If you haven't read the book, you really should. Due to this book, I decided to review another book, "Breakneck: China's Quest to Engineer the Future" by Dan Wang.

Synopsis and Why It Matters

"Breakneck" by Dan Wang explores China’s meteoric rise as a technological and economic powerhouse, framing the country’s development as the strategic result of an “engineering state” mentality. Wang contrasts China’s focus on engineering-driven governance—where rapid infrastructure, manufacturing, and industrial progress are favored—with the United States’ “lawyerly society,” where regulation, caution, and legal obstacles dominate. He illustrates the impact of this mindset on both the successes (such as world-class megaprojects and manufacturing) and pitfalls (social engineering excesses and suppression of individual liberties) found in modern China. The book argues that understanding the “engineering state” mindset is critical for grasping China’s future trajectory and its implications for the world.

Topics Covered

• The rise of China’s engineering class and the prominence of engineers in the country’s political leadership since the 1980s.

• Massive infrastructure projects and industrial development (e.g., high-speed rail, manufacturing clusters), as witnessed during Wang’s travels.

• The pitfalls of viewing society as an engineering problem, such as the One-Child Policy and Zero-Covid measures, which reveal the limitations and human costs of data-driven, top-down social management.

• Comparative analysis of American and Chinese governance, arguing each could learn from the other: China to value individual rights, America to embrace decisive, outcome-driven engineering.

• The role of process knowledge, tacit expertise, and manufacturing ecosystems powering China’s technological ascendancy.

• Political suppression, surveillance, and the exodus of creative talent as side effects of the engineering mindset.

Main Audience

The primary audience for "Breakneck" includes:

• Business and technology professionals seeking insight into the future of global industry and innovation.

• Policymakers and strategists interested in understanding US-China relations, industrial policy, and economic competition.

• Academics and general readers curious about the social, political, and technological evolution of China in the 21st century.

Wang’s accessible, yet analytical style ensures relevance for both specialists and generalists, especially those in Western countries questioning stagnation or seeking lessons from China’s approach.

Parallels and Common Findings with "Apple in China" by Patrick McGee

Both "Breakneck" and "Apple in China" delve into the complex relationship between Western companies and the Chinese state, especially the reliance on Chinese manufacturing prowess for global technology brands. Wang highlights how Apple’s dominance was enabled by an ecosystem built on process knowledge and engineering culture, echoing McGee’s examination of Apple’s strategic choices and the capture by—rather than full control over—Chinese supply chains. The books reveal:

• The extent of Western dependence on China’s superior manufacturing capabilities and process innovation.

• The ways in which China’s state-led, engineering-first approach can both empower and constrain global companies.

• Mutual vulnerabilities: Western companies risk losing core competencies, while China’s control risks stifling innovation and causing talent outflows—concerns central to both authors’ analyses.

Relevance in the AI Age

"Breakneck" is especially pertinent in an era defined by accelerated AI advancement. As Wang observes, China’s technocratic impulse—now with AI as a core driver—is resurfacing visions of machine-aided governance and central planning. The book prompts crucial questions:

• Can an engineering state harness AI for inclusive innovation, or does centralized control inherently limit creativity and social flexibility?

• How does China’s hardware/software focus stack up against Western experimentation at the frontier of AI?

• What lessons should policymakers worldwide learn as AI amplifies both the power and the risks of state-driven technological management?

The issues raised—about governance, societal trade-offs, and the global race for AI leadership—are not just about China, but about the deeper choices all societies face in an age of technological acceleration.

Engineering State and AI Strategy

Wang argues that China’s leadership, dominated by engineers rather than lawyers, treats technological progress—especially in areas like AI and infrastructure—as a matter of grand-scale construction and rapid deployment. Policies are pragmatic and outcome-driven, which enables large projects and fast adaptation, as seen in the massive rollout of data centers and smart cities that support AI deployment. In this context, Wang contends, China is positioned to capitalize heavily on AI’s industrial applications, from manufacturing automation to surveillance and logistics.

China's Strengths in the AI Era

China has significant advantages in AI due to:

• Vast access to manufacturing data and industrial processes, providing invaluable "training data" for industrial AI systems.

• An abundance of electrical power and mature chip technology for AI inference (deployment), compensating for limits in cutting-edge chip design.

• A willingness to prioritize the needs of heavy industry, ensuring infrastructure bottlenecks are quickly resolved through state coordination.

Geopolitical and Policy Implications

Wang notes that US efforts to restrict China’s access to advanced chips and technology have paradoxically accelerated China’s push for AI self-sufficiency. As a result, dynamic Chinese tech firms are now aligning more closely with state objectives and channeling investment into domestic research and production. This has the potential to intensify the global technology rivalry and make China an even faster-moving force in industrial deployment of AI.

Overall Assessment

"Breakneck" thus frames China’s AI advancement not simply as a function of resource allocation, but as the culmination of a distinctive, state-driven philosophy of technological progress. Wang’s insights suggest that, despite constraints in basic research or creative freedom, China could dominate the industrial and infrastructural side of AI—reshaping global business, supply chains, and ultimately, the balance of technological power. These observations are highly relevant: as AI becomes a core driver of economic and military competition, understanding the underlying philosophies guiding each major power’s approach is critical for anticipating future trends, policy moves, and global impacts.

Final Words and Why Readers Should Care

"Breakneck" is significant not only as a window into Chinese society but as a mirror for readers worldwide—challenging assumptions about progress, governance, and the trade-offs inherent in rapid growth. Wang's firsthand reporting, historical analysis, and personal narratives make the book both gripping and thought-provoking. Readers should care because the book demystifies how state-driven engineering shapes not just China’s infrastructure but its destiny, outlining the global consequences of two fundamentally different models vying for technological and economic leadership.

The book brings lots of insights into Chinese society and helps you to understand why the development of China's economy has been as rapid as it has. Adding this book to your library is a wise choice. Technology is moving forward at an accelerated pace, but some things have not changed, like what you would learn from this book.

Yours,

Dr. Petri I. Salonen

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