I don't see what the mutual dependency is. They sent us cheap shit for a few decades, we gave them dollars in return. Our inflation rate was super low, as we were exporting our inflation. We slowly lost the ability to make stuff domestically. That system is now crumbling, China is using their exports to buy gold instead. We are left with a hollowed out economy based on services and finance. The DOD is having a big problem building ships and submarines. Nuclear power plants can't be built affordably. In some ways, China is in the same position as the USA was during WW2, the world's factory.

I think that was the idea, but in practice I think that China successfully outmaneuvered the United States by taking advantage of the short-sighted greed of our businesses leaders.

They are now the manufacturing capital of the world, and our position of being the preeminent consumer in the world lasts only as long as our consumers can afford to purchase things.