[cycomanic]

Yes the requirement for "made in Germany" was invented in the UK to protect the UK products from cheap knock offs from Germany. A similar thing happened with Japanese car makers initially, and more recently Korean ones, it seems to be a pattern that to get up to a certain level one has to copy the superior products of another country and after requiring sufficient knowledge one can surpass them.

[sprafa]

You should read the book "How Asia Works" which makes the persuasive argument that's the case with every single rising industrial power. They are always considered "cheap knock offs" until they start producing stuff that's higher quality. Happened with Japan too.

[mafuy]

It's not that easy I'm afraid. Chinese products were great quality until ~50 years ago, when quantity over quality became a thing.

[__turbobrew__]

“Bad Samaritans: The Myth of Free Trade and the Secret History of Capitalism“ is another one.