China expert Dan Wang: US and Chinese people are strikingly alike
In an interview with France 24, China analyst Dan Wang explains what keeps China functioning despite the strains felt within its society. He argues Americans and Chinese are among the most similar peoples in the world.
In the latest episode of France 24's show "Perspective," host Stuart Norval spoke with China expert Dan Wang, whose book "Breakneck: China's Quest to Engineer the Future" has become a New York Times bestseller.
The book takes a close look at everyday life in China, drawing on Wang's own ten years of living in the country. The conversation centered on the question of what makes China's system work despite the difficulties and pressures present within its society.
Shared traits between the US and China
During the interview, Wang argued that Americans and Chinese people are, at their core, among the most similar populations in the world. According to him, both societies share a hustling mentality and a willingness to take shortcuts to reach their goals, making them comparable in spirit despite their very different political and economic systems.
The interview offers insight into an expert's perspective on the internal dynamics of Chinese society at a time when the country's global role and domestic challenges continue to draw attention. Wang's book and the views he shared are grounded in a decade of firsthand observation in China, giving him a vantage point distinct from analysis conducted from afar.
