The ballpoint pen story _IS_ a military story first and foremost that went over western journalists heads. TLDR is Li Keqiang used ballpoint pen as example of

The ballpoint pen story _IS_ a military story first and foremost that went over western journalists heads. TLDR is Li Keqiang used ballpoint pen as example of PRC industry at the time lacking precision manufacturing capabilities for defense. A few years later, PRC developed tungsten carbide manufacturing for advanced munitions. A few years after that TISCO, 10B+ state owned steel group decided to waste their time making ballpoint tips worth 20M imports per year in PRC (which was 80% of global demand), i.e. basically political sideshow for propaganda because the market wasn't worth being addressed without political pressure. For reference only Switzerland, Japan and now PRC makes ballpoint pen tips. US didn't/doesn't (not can't) make ballpoint pens, but they can make advanced munitions. Which makes WSJ article extra ironic when it points out that it was PRC steel industry instead of pen industry that made indigenous ballpoint tip technology, but that was literally the point. The ballpoint tip saga is about PRC political pressure on state industries to rapidly develop advanced manufacturing capabilities for weapons. And they did, even before they figured out ball point pen tips.