The situation is a bit more subtle. When quality counts, the Chinese can perform with first rate product (the overlords are very rigid). But when it appears they can cheat a customer from the West or the Third World, they are not loath to do so. The Zambians are learning the hard way not always to trust Chinese product. They had a multi-story building collapse because the Chinese construction team put used diapers into the concrete in order to obtain a very smooth finish on the final structure. They did...but the structural integrity was zilch. There were other stories of being sold Chinese rice, only to discover that it was not rice but a plastic simulacrum of rice. You can cook it and eat it, but not digest it. Clever, but evil. My stepdaughter had a fashion dry goods business for a while and went to China to obtain merchandise for sale. She found there were distinct quality grades of product and you had to know what you were doing when bargaining for goods.

But Chinese weapons are worth their weight in steel. The Chinese space launch vehicles are good enough to put a space station and taikonauts into orbit. This is a very exclusive club to be part of. They understand nuclear physics very well. The point is that you can GET good quality product from the Chinese...but they won't GIVE it to you.