Isn't it common knowledge that every better mouse trap breeds smarter mice?

Third party here, I feel like I'm missing something. Your comment seems somewhat pointed and I don't understand what exactly you're asking for?

Weren't they just saying that it's self-evident that preventing a manufacturing superpower - one with a significant pool of industrial engineers and effectively unlimited money & government backing - from acquiring some good is a temporary measure? Because if they have sufficient incentive, they would just... Learn to build it themselves?

After all, their entire nation is built around building things, and catching up / leap-frogging is much easier than starting from scratch.

Look into the history clases will be enough. Why would I need to prove anything to a random stranger on the internet?