You're mixing cliches. The "elephant in the living room" is a huge problem that people ignore until it's too late. The "800 pound gorilla" is the big, bad, boss animal that eats whatever it wants (calls the shots).
That said, you're absolutely right that the Chicoms are the elephant in the living room. We ignore them at our peril.
Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!
Gorillaphant.