China’s strength is copying someone else’s technology and making it cheaper. Mostly by using less expensive components and materials.
What they are also very good at is stealing or PAYING someone in the west for that technology.
Our university systems are full of Chinese spies trying to get that technology to repay their homeland.
The made in China products are now much better than they once were. The real junk is now made in other countries where it is even less expensive to manufacture labor intensive products.
If you read General Robert Spalding's (Retired) excellent book: LINK: Stealth War: How China Took Over While America's Elite Slept it outlines in excruciating and nearly terrifying detail how they do this with full CCP implementation, support, and governance.
And have been, for decades.