What has been lost to China and other 3rd world sludgepots were low skill jobs ...which are not high paying jobs!
You are living in the past friend.
China is passing us in almost every front.
They now export more technology than any other nation, and are about to take over the world AUTOMOBILE MARKET.
After that - airplanes (courtesy of Airbus), and frankly we're toast.
And most Republicans will insist "free trade" is a great thing, right up until the time we all become indentured servants to our new Chinese overlords.
Don't think it can happen?
Who finances our 10 trillion dollars in debt??