Joel Wong

America’s enormous GDP creates an impression of overwhelming economic strength. But GDP measures economic activity, not necessarily productive capacity, national resilience, or how livable life is for ordinary people. That distinction matters enormously when comparing the United States with China. The argument is not that America’s service economy is “fake.”… Read More »GDP Is Not the Economy—and It Doesn’t Tell Us How Livable Life Is

For decades, America made a powerful but ultimately flawed assumption: it could dominate the technologies of the future without maintaining the industrial capacity to build them. The strategy seemed logical. Keep the research laboratories, universities, software companies, patents, venture capital and corporate headquarters in America. Move manufacturing overseas to reduce… Read More »You Can’t Win the Technology Race Without the Factory

The United States does not lack a China strategy. It lacks something more important: a clear theory of victory. Washington has assembled an impressive collection of policies aimed at countering China: semiconductor subsidies, export controls, investment restrictions, tariffs, military alliances, and partnerships with Japan, India, Australia and other nations. Together,… Read More »America Has a China Strategy. But Does It Have a Strategy to Win?

The question “Is America still number one?” increasingly produces a more complicated answer than it did a generation ago. A growing share of Americans no longer equate national power with national superiority. They recognize that the United States remains extraordinarily powerful while also acknowledging that other countries outperform it in… Read More »Is the U.S. Still Number One?

The fundamental difference between the U.S. and Chinese approaches to personal data is not whether data is collected—it is who controls it, why it is collected, and how much power individuals have to resist its use. The United States: Commercial Surveillance In the United States, enormous quantities of personal information… Read More »Data as Power: Two Systems, Two Forms of Surveillance

China accounted for the largest share of global GDP in 2025 when adjusted for purchasing power parity (PPP).The U.S. share of global output peaked at 29.7% during World War II. At its 19th-century peak, the British Empire contributed nearly one-quarter of global GDP. Over the last 200 years, economic leadership… Read More »China’s Return: A Long Historical View of Human Progress

Comparing income levels in the United States and China is far more complicated than converting yuan into dollars. The two countries use different statistical concepts, have radically different cost structures, and measure income for different policy purposes. A meaningful comparison therefore requires looking beyond nominal income to disposable income, purchasing… Read More »Comparing Income and Living Standards in the United States and China

Two Systems, One Century: The Governance Gap Between America and China The defining distinction between the United States and China runs deeper than the familiar labels—capitalist democracy versus authoritarian socialism. What truly separates these two powers is how each conceives the relationship between the individual, the state, and the collective—and… Read More »Two Systems, One Century: The Governance Gap Between America and China