I'm more worried about their (less regulated) growing car purchases but it's still something to consider as we compete for resources (and jobs).
It's true that in some poorer countries there is a cachet specifically to American things (that cost a lot more than an ordinary person can afford).
And I think Americans opted for bigger cars was purely due to non availability and zero motivation of efficiency in Life in General.USA has lots of land, it has sources to get cheap oil (or it creates them). So there might have been a neglect towards efficiency.
I don't compete with the Chinese for a job, I create my own. Also, Americans don't compete with Chinese for jobs, 1 individual person competes with 7 billion other people for jobs.
China v. America is just a way to convince people that jingoistic nationalist policies are a good idea.
Oil resources are fairly fixed (for plastics and fuel) while China just makes contracts for more and causes our prices to rise for fuel.
The majority of jobs in the USA would appear to be service based for our own consumption while the majority in China seem to be manufacturing for consumption in the USA and elsewhere.
We restrict commerce to Cuba but have an overflow of goods coming mostly from China, to the point where they own most of our debt.
Why didn't we build up Mexico as the manufacturing capitol of the world so at least our continent would benefit from the stability the jobs would create?
I am not "anti" China, just saying we are still asleep at the wheel about their world economic power and their rising middle class is the cherry on top.