China did in the 1990s exactly what the US did in the 1890s, steal IP to build up its own industries. The US did it to the UK and Europe back then, China has done it against the US/EU over the last 3 decades.

It's at the point now where it is self-sustaining, which is why you see China starting to enforce IP Rights, precisely because it is now generating its own IP that it wants to protect.

Any economist would say that if China did just "copy" US technology to make itself more productive, that's good economic practice, from China's perspective.

Moats only worked for a while to protect European castles, they don't exist now.