It just goes to show how far the gap is between the US and other pretenders. While China struggles to field a credible jet engine & J-20, the US is increasing the distance between it and powers. The world still can’t field a plane that can take on the F-35 or F-22 and the pentagon said, never mind; let’s troll them. The US is generations ahead of Russia, China and the EU. All three will be playing catch-up for the foreseeable future. When it comes to technology, the US military is peerless. Total domination.
Like AI and 5G, and Intel struggle to produce a 10nm processor, while TSMC (and perhaps even Samsung) are working on 3nm?.
Combined with its allies, the US will be on a relatively fragile no.1 (because China is catching up too fast). But without Japan, Germany, Korea and Taiwan, the US technological might seems weaker than China. It is already behind China in some critical areas. While the gap between China and the US is closing in areas in which China is weaker, there is no chance that the US can close the gap with China in areas in which China is ahead.
Can the US manufacture the boiler for nuclear power plant without using the Japanese tech?
I can make endless list of critical components which the US is still relying on technological powers like Japan, Germany and Taiwan. But of course, it seems not so important now, as they are still the US's allies, at least for now.
China can build by its own all critical components of high speed trains. How many percentage in a high speed rolling stock the US can manufacture by its own now, or just import critical components from Japan and Germany, assemble them in the US and make it "made-in-USA" train, like what the Indian is doing.