Yo-Yo, it won’t take the Chinese as many years to get operational as it did us. First, they don’t have a Congress. The US Congress ensures that every state gets a piece of the procurement pie (pork-pie, for sure) and then, Congressional intermeddlers change priorities and requirements almost whimsically.
Just remember the shock America got when it went head to head with the Zero and the “Jap” pilots that all wore thick glasses. Lots of America’s best young men were killed early in the War because of our hubris and suddenly outdated equipment and tactics.
Oldplayer
Yes, we did lose a lot of brave young men to the Mitsubishi Zero, but then we learned that the aircraft got its superior speed and maneuverability by eliminating the pilot armor and self-sealing fuel tanks that U.S. planes had.
Once we discovered their weaknesses, we dominated them in the skies.