[albanread]

I agree we all learn by example; and by copying.

I remember in the 1970s people used to say that the Japanese could only copy the west; they couldn't create things of their own; their culture or even their different brains prevented them from original creativity.

That was obviously just a load of garbage; it was just a stage their economy was going through.

I think the article is light on historical context.

There are good reasons why catching up with other nations; especially ones that once oppressed you could be regarded as a completely ethical thing to do; by any means necessary; to safeguard your peoples future.

No one would be in any way surprised if Huawei had just said "we are forking Android and our fork will diverge over time; eventually becoming our own unique operating system."

Understanding why they didn't say that is perhaps the interesting thing.