None of the stuff I buy is counterfeit, although plenty probably have designs copied from other products. Sometimes I’ve wondered whether I should buy that tool or pack of LED light bulbs from the local hardware store instead, but either way I’m buying products made in China and sold by a big American corporation.
I don’t know where this wormhole goes, although there has been some good discussion here covering multiple aspects and viewpoints.
[0] https://www.chinaexpatsociety.com/culture/the-chabuduo-minds...
In my experience the phrase more or less means functionally sufficient, which is not exactly the same as say ‘not as good.’
Sometimes you want the best thing you can buy, other times you just want one that does the job. Of course, that is a different distinction than being pragmatic vs. cutting corners.
I guess ‘chabuduo’ sometimes sits in the gray area between the two.
There are crappy Chinese knockoffs on Amazon now but there's no indication I've seen that everyone in the country is happy with just staying there.
Source: me, a US brand owner who has worry about product liability...