China is a decade ahead of the rest of the world in different kind of use cases (think their super apps or payments).
TikTok is the most popular social media app out there, and it's chinese.
They are also tremendously competitive in AI despite all the limitations they encounter.
Honestly I think that the last century should be a clear statement that protectionism, sanctions and closeness is a failure whose bills are paid by tax payers.
We've been bailing out and protecting non competitive industries (which have further incentives *not* to invest due to protectionism they benefit from) for decades.
When Trump 1 put high taxes on dishwashers and house appliances it hasn't really pushed US companies to do better, it just allowed them to raise the prices and do very little.
But the fact that some countries play dirty (see China and their industrial espionage and lack of respect of patents and intellectual property), while others are obsessed with being #1 even if it means pursuing that via bullying methods have pushed us in this very negative scenario I don't see how can we leave us behind unless we get a new generation of brighter leaders.
Sadly, that's not how you win consensus and elections today.
As we can see everywhere else.
This wouldn’t even be good for the US, just good for the shareholders of these companies.