[ideophobia]

I've never heard this argument before. Generally China steals IP because it's faster and cheaper to build something when you can skip years or decades of R&D. I have trouble swallowing the "shared for the good of all" argument because I can't think of any instances where they actually do that. Instead it appears they just use stolen IP to fast track localized versions of things, or offer competitive products that undercut western prices.

China has for many years been relegated to the role of cheap laborious manufacturing for other countries, only to be stuck buying back the same things they helped build. Much of their IP theft supports plans to move away from that model and toward more localized advanced manufacturing and production. See the "Made in China 2025" plan for a literal blueprint of all the areas they plan on bolstering their economy, and you'll realize they overlap with IP theft instances.