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My grandfather worked in a metal shop for 30 years after he served in Korea. I remember him telling me they switched to Chinese made steel in the 70s because of the quality problems they were having with American made steel. Being out West, they were somewhat more free from the political/social/union pressure to use American commodities.

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Probably meant Japanese, I don't think China had much of a steel industry in the 1970s and given the politics of the time I don't think it would have been imported in the USA even if available.

China started pushing for a large domestic steel industry in the late 50s.

It did not go well. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backyard_furnace

He specifically said Chinese. But given the era it might have well been conflated.

The paradox of rights(don't quote me, i just made this up). In wealthier societies, demands for greater worker rights from the government increase. This can lead to more bureaucracy and higher labor costs, potentially making third-world countries with lower regulations more attractive for importing goods or outsourcing production. Countries already operates in a libertarian interaction with each others. I find these global economics aspects fascinating

Wealthy countries tend to invest in automation. If you have 1/10 as many workers you can pay them 5 times as much.

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