They don’t come up with a lot of the ideas, but they’re responsible for making most of it.
Exactly, most in the US have absolutely both how ruthless and how patient the Chinese are.
I worked for a high tech company back in the 80's that had a licensing agreement to build its product in Shanghai. I'd fly over every month and stay a week or two "supervising" our Chinese counterparts. It quickly became apparent to me that the their only interest in our company was to gain our expertise and they would never consider us a "partner" in the enterprise despite what the contracts that had been signed said, their goal was simply to learn how we made what we made.
Of course, they didn't renew the license they continued to make what we made and the company I worked for failed.
The Chinese play the long game. They have built up an immense trade surplus with the US over the last generation. They will use the "American trade war" to weaken the most vulnerable US industries and likely, in the long run, destroy them.
American politicians play the wake up and see what can we can kick down the road today game. We have built up immense deficits over the last generation. Picking a fight that one cannot win in government, as well as in life, shows weakness and desperation....