I think this is just a stupid description of industrial production (as well as software development.) I think silly to assume that assembly-line workers in China are somehow more stupid than their counterparts in the U.S. (which I think is what you were hinting at by describing a Chinese farmer, though I’m also confused as to why you think farmers are particularly stupid too.) Indeed in the U.S. most more educated people have more opportunities whereas in China factory work can be a better choice leading to certain higher qualities of workers. Though obviously the average education standard in China is lower.
Industrial production involves expensive inputs, energy, the procurement and maintenance of large, very expensive machines, and some skilled and unskilled labour. Many of those do better with scale and within the borders of a single country. Perhaps it was once true that the only advantage of Chinese manufacturing was cheaper labour, but I don’t think that is true anymore. Why would so many hi-tech devices be manufactured in China? The margins are often large so they could be produced in richer countries, and labour is cheaper in other countries too so perhaps costs could be reduced elsewhere too. I think the answer lies in all the existing expertise in, and production of high tech goods and components in (certain parts of) China.
> Though obviously the average education standard in China is lower.
It is higher that in the most of the West, US included. I have not yet seen a single worker struggling with basic arithmetics the way even university grads in the US do.
> The margins are often large so they could be produced in richer countries, and labour is cheaper in other countries too so perhaps costs could be reduced elsewhere too.
In fact, skilled assembly labour in South China was hovering in between 10000 and 15000 CNY (without pension/insurance/provident fund payments,) the later is higher than the price of factory labour in the US in flyover states.
Skilled assemblers are becoming an increasingly scarce resource. People work for 5-10 years on such job, and then leave for something (or increasingly somewhere) better.
Indians, and Bengalis are importing Chinese engineers in droves these days. Guangzhou-Dhaka flight was booked full through the whole pandemic period. It was one of very few such flights in entire China.
Industrial production involves expensive inputs, energy, the procurement and maintenance of large, very expensive machines, and some skilled and unskilled labour. Many of those do better with scale and within the borders of a single country. Perhaps it was once true that the only advantage of Chinese manufacturing was cheaper labour, but I don’t think that is true anymore. Why would so many hi-tech devices be manufactured in China? The margins are often large so they could be produced in richer countries, and labour is cheaper in other countries too so perhaps costs could be reduced elsewhere too. I think the answer lies in all the existing expertise in, and production of high tech goods and components in (certain parts of) China.