Dan Wang

Leaders know that staying ahead of competitors means understanding the direction and strategies of the world’s tech juggernauts. But how can leaders keep up when opaque policies and cultural differences make it difficult to understand or predict the actions of China, one of the biggest players in this industry?

Dan Wang, the chief technology analyst at Gavekal Dragonomics, a Beijing-based economic research firm, and a fellow at Yale Law School is a top-cited expert on China and its technology strategies. A global economics researcher, he sheds light on the US-China trade war, tech innovation races, regulatory actions – including policies on everything from semiconductors to TikTok – and how sectors like electric vehicles and alternative energy can achieve dominance by better understanding China.

Wang’s highly anticipated forthcoming book, “Imperial Wagers: China’s Quest to Reshape the World Built by America” (W. W. Norton and Penguin UK, 2025), explores the contrast between America’s “lawyerly society” and China’s “engineering state,” and demonstrates how these opposite approaches have led both countries down different paths with surprising similarities. Calming, focused and relatable, Wang dives deep into Xi Jinping’s leadership, the pace of supply chains moving out of China, and China’s influence on international trade to equip organizations with the strategic foresight needed to stay ahead in complex international markets.

Wang lived in China during all three years of the country’s zero-Covid strategy. Being one of the few foreigners on the ground in China helped him to see the state’s logic while the rest of the world looked on in bafflement.

“The Chinese state media gave us a fair warning about regulatory changes in areas like online education, if we only chose to engage it,” Wang explains, detailing one recent example where he foresaw upcoming policy upheaval before it happened. “There are a lot of signals out there, and it’s worth keeping in mind what’s going on, what the party is saying, and even what the party is saying to itself and the broader world when planning ahead.”

Understanding China’s Tech Strategy Now and Where It’s Going

Wang’s extensive research on China gives him deep insights into the heart of the state’s ambitious tech strategy and its simultaneous widespread crackdown on its own tech giants. Drawing from his firsthand experience, Wang sheds light on China’s tactical maneuvers within the tech industry and the resulting regulations imposed on its biggest companies.

According to Wang, the contrasting economic philosophies of China and the United States may be at the root of the countries’ differing approaches to innovation. As he explains in “Imperial Wagers,” China’s focus on innovation positions it as a formidable force in technology and infrastructure. In contrast, the US, with its slower, legalistic approach, faces challenges in maintaining its competitive edge in manufacturing and large-scale projects. His insights provide a unique perspective on an urgent question: why is China so good at building while America appears woefully slow?

“The US and China have opposite problems,” Wang explains. “For a long time, China has been governed by engineers, and engineers love to build. This contrasts with the US, which used to be an engineering state, but now hasn’t built much since the 1970s. Since then, seeing what works and what doesn’t in China has given America an ability to see our tech problems far more clearly.”

Wang brings leaders actionable strategies for maneuvering within both economies, understanding the implications for international trade and technological competition, and how to leverage these insights for strategic advantage. He explores the broader impacts of these policies on technology innovation and geopolitical dynamics to deliver insights into how to best prepare for the ripple effects of China’s tech policies and how to seize the coming opportunities amid the challenges they present.

Xi Jinping’s Grand Strategy For Taking On The United States

It’s hard to anticipate future global trade movements without knowledge of national leaders and how they’re likely to act. Understanding China’s current president, the enigmatic Xi Jinping, is critical for leaders seeking to navigate the increasingly complex landscape of international politics and economics. Wang brings organizations an exclusive look into the mindset of Xi Jinping and his “Grand Wagers” for the future of the world.

“What Xi Jinping is trying to do is make China self-sufficient from the rest of the world while making the rest of the world dependent on them,” Wang elaborates. “For example, in terms of solar power and electric vehicle batteries – they want the world to buy Chinese. Whether this is a viable strategy remains to be seen.”

With a unique vantage point formed through years of on-the-ground experience and deep analytical research, Wang demystifies the personality, policies and priorities shaping China today. From Xi’s centralization of power to his ambitious “Made in China 2025” strategy, Wang’s insights help leaders see the nuances of Xi’s approach to worldwide dominance and technological innovation. He brings organizations a comprehensive understanding of Xi’s impact on markets, the US-China relationship and strategies for engaging with China under Xi’s leadership.

Wang serves as an indispensable guide for anyone looking to comprehend the motivations behind China’s quest to reshape the world order and how it affects international business and geopolitical dynamics.

Dan Wang is a fellow at Yale Law School’s Paul Tsai China Center and the chief technology analyst at Gavekal Dragonomics, an economics research firm based in Beijing. He is one of the most cited experts on China and technology. He lived in China from 2017 to 2023, in Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai — including all three years of zero-Covid. As the technology analyst at Dragonomics, he wrote reports on the country’s technology developments for a predominantly financial audience that includes many of the world’s most prominent endowments, hedge funds, and other asset allocators. 

At the Yale Law School, he is writing a trade book to be published by W. W. Norton on China as an “engineering state.” Titled “Imperial Wagers: China’s Quest to Reshape the World Built by America,” Wang proposes that understanding the competition between nations is much like comparing engineers (China) and lawyers (USA), each with its own benefits and disadvantages.

Wang is a frequent podcast guest, appearing on “The Ezra Klein Show” at The New York Times, and multiple times on Bloomberg’s “Odd Lots,” Ben Thompson’s “Stratechery” and Kaiser Kuo’s “Sinica.” His essays have been published in The New York Times, Foreign Affairs, Financial Times, New York Magazine, Bloomberg Opinion and The Atlantic. Wang has presented to a range of senior American and European government officials. He has delivered corporate keynotes to major financial institutions, including UBS and Jane Street, as well as tech firms including Stripe, Apple and Intel. 

Wang studied philosophy at the University of Rochester and previously worked in Silicon Valley.

Dan Wang is available to advise your organization via virtual and in-person consulting meetings, interactive workshops and customized keynotes through the exclusive representation of Stern Speakers & Advisors, a division of Stern Strategy Group®.