[hollerith]

>The West . . . has nowhere near the manufacturing capacity as China alone.

That's not true.

It is not even true of low-end manufacturing because on the low end, the critical input is energy, and the US has much lower energy costs than China because China must import most of its energy.

[simonblack]

It is not even true of low-end manufacturing because on the low end, the critical input is energy, and the US has much lower energy costs than China because China must import most of its energy.

Just keep believing that. Energy is but one input cost.

But a question: "If it's so much cheaper to produce stuff in America, why is the World's manufacturing done in China?"

[hollerith]

The answer to your question is that you are exaggerating the extent to which the world's manufacturing done in China.

[simonblack]

I have a challenge that I often hand out to people: Go for a mere 7 days without using or eating anything which is marked 'Made in China', and also without using anything that while it is not marked 'Made in China' contains Chinese components or ingredients. Off you go.