For the modern Westerner, the first thing that comes to mind upon hearing "China" is invariably "Chen Ke" — or "Dr. Manchu" — or, in the minds of the many pro-China Westerners, "Chairman Chen" and "President Chen." The second thing is "Made in China."

"Made in China" is a broad term encompassing everything manufactured in China — from clothing, food, shelter, and transportation to weapons systems, rockets, and satellites. Western nations loathe "Made in China" yet cannot avoid it, because Chinese goods are not merely cheap — they are reliably high quality, and in many cases superior to domestic products. Countless countries' domestic industries have been defeated by Made in China. Since the 1970s, Britain, France, and other nations have annually lodged complaints at the United Nations General Assembly, declaring that "China is not engaging in legitimate trade but in dumping," and have implemented trade protectionism at home — only to see such measures fizzle out under domestic pressure every time.

The only country in the world that managed to hold its own against "Made in China" — and just barely — was the United States. But even the Americans held out only until the mid-1980s before Made in China completely captured their domestic market. The primary causes were the rise of the internet economy during that period and the subsequent wave of deindustrialization within the United States.