I watched a podcast (9 Hole Reviews) with asian gun dealers in the USA and China sold high quality firearms to the US which they used the profits to reinvest in

I watched a podcast (9 Hole Reviews) with asian gun dealers in the USA and China sold high quality firearms to the US which they used the profits to reinvest in machines for factories etc. Essentially modern Chinese industry was financed in no small part by selling guns to Americans. China has always had a spectrum of workers and production, and was able to exploit the gaps in labour rates, which aren't as great and therefore Chinese manufacturing is less competitive but is still sticky because of the massive supply chain.