Let me rephrase you: “many could…“. Because if you don’t manufacture continuously you loose knowledge. It’s more than buying machinery and hiring labor. Manufacturing is continuous improvement process. Improving raw materials, manufacturing parameters, testing technology. When one stops it it’s game over.

It’s not just government money. Factory workers wages in China are still a lot lower than western countries, and they have a lot fewer labor rights.

Also, the government hinders as often as it helps, since they can always take over an industry or make it’s CEO disappear if they feel like it.

I usually get the cheapest motorcycle battery I can find and Varta ones were always priced almost like the noname Chinese ones too.