There is a lot of technology out there waiting to be used for one purpose or another. There are also a lot of smart people on this planet with different educational opportunities. So many inventions are being discovered and tried out. As far as manufacturing mass quantities of products to be sold to people all over the planet, the owners of those companies are going to put their company wherever they can make the most money. If less money is spent by having steel or chemicals produced in China, then the people who own that company are going to move it to China. There is no minimum wage in China and some other countries. The people get paid what the company wants to pay them. In the west, there is minimum wage and work standards that have to be met. There are certain guidelines the employer or company has to follow. In other countries the employer has more rights than the employee. It seems that industrialists are going to put their company wherever they can to make the most for themselves rather than appreciate or compensate an employee. If the west had different rules, or no rules in favor of employees then maybe it would look like the west would be the leader and have the edge. It's not the geographical location that is the leader, it is the owners of the companies and where they choose to put the company according to the labor standards of a region or country. It gives the illusion that wherever these companies are, that country is the leader. In fact, the country is not making money, it is the handful of people that own the companies that make the money.
