You can only make money if you produce value. If you stop producing value because your old industries decline/collapse and you miss out on new industries, your wealth will trend towards that of a third world country.

Being on the backfoot will make us vulnerable to those who are not.

I do not understand how this can not be self evident.

The current question is whether being the minor partner in a relationship with the US or China makes for a better & more free society.

Westphalian norms are falling apart and countries will need to make hard tradeoffs about how to build enough economic heft to maintain their cultural values.

It's not about how large the models are, it's how you use them in society ;)