Before the 1970s China was basically a huge North Korea. It was so backwards it wasn't even funny. Then, to promote a "New World Order" the USA in its infinite wisdom decided to artificiality give the Chicoms technology, money and fixed contracts and then transplanted factories from the USA to to China. The whole thing was done to make China stronger in the fight against the USSR and the cold war. The a funny thing happened, the USSR collapsed under its own weight and we were left holding the bag on a policy that no longer had application. This China policy was kept in place for no good reason except to make international gloBULList corporations an their international stock holders rich.
Again this is nothing but and example of humongous international central planning. It pits US workers against the Asian peasants and we are bleeding dry, wealth is being transferred out of the USA.
China is a manufacturing phenomenon because they have lots of people that will work really cheap and basically no regulation. Companies can do whatever the hell they want over there. Also, being on the other side of the planet, it’s handy for distribution everywhere. Every aspect of building is cheaper, and distribution breaks even.
Meanwhile of course, the China obsession is missing the changes in the world. American (and non-American) companies are building factories all over the world, the big growth area right now is Latin America. Most of our cars are being built there, Mexico and Brazil are major manufacturing hot spots.
It’s not central planning, it’s good business. If you want more manufacturing in America you need to make it a good business decision. And the path to that is NOT tariffs, all that does is make businesses move elsewhere. You make China bad they go to Mexico, make Mexico bad they’ll go further south, make that bad they’ll go to India.