Is it true that it is cheaper to ship a car from China to to Europe or the States than for a local manufacturer to ship internally in either? I know for a long

Is it true that it is cheaper to ship a car from China to to Europe or the States than for a local manufacturer to ship internally in either? I know for a long time the rest of the developed world was paying all of China's shipping costs, which massively helped them along. Don't know if that is also a factor.