Many years ago, after the war, Japanese products were considered to be junk. In those days, a lot of it was. Cheap but junk. Nikon of course was an exception. As their economy matured, quality improved and then became topnotch.
Today China's economy is still maturing. They seem to be following a similar trajectory. I wouldn't call their stuff junk. Agreed that some of it is not as good as it could be. On the other hand, companies like Sirui and Venus Optics are innovative and make top-level stuff.
Unfortunately negative feelings about China are common and long-standing. The country has big problems. So do we in the West. We should not let these things cloud our judgement. We get to choose the ball bearings that are suitable for our use. Same thing with camera batteries. Clearly China does not have all the technology yet. It will come.
And then they will compete head-to-head with all the other advanced economies in the world.
The post-war period with cheap Japanese goods helped to keep inflation down. Similarly, low wages in China (and other places too) are reducing inflation. So once China matures, watch out for steeper inflation. That is, unless India and Africa then start to manufacture massive amounts of cheap goods!
