How can you compare China (population ~1.4bn) to any EU country (population average ~10mn - several orders of magnitude less, even in the case of the largest country)? Size is an advantage, not a disadvantage!
Pretty much none of the tactics would have worked for a small country that China played successfully. If you are small you can choose to be independent and protectionist - and remain very poor, or join the party, but be pushed into the corner, hoping that with time the playing field will level out somewhat.
Unfortunately for us the US will first need to learn that it’s better to keep US citizens out of prison, being productive in the workforce than locked up.
Broken window fallacy rules US economic thinking. Just that the broken windows are the lives of the prisoners and their families while the profits go to privatized prisons and their investors.
Pretty much none of the tactics would have worked for a small country that China played successfully. If you are small you can choose to be independent and protectionist - and remain very poor, or join the party, but be pushed into the corner, hoping that with time the playing field will level out somewhat.