> invalidates . . . . China "catching up"

China catching up does not mean they are not still behind.

Also, China is a big country with many companies. While some may be trying to catch up via local development, others may still prefer getting western hardware right now e.g. in order to get a competitive advantage over those catching up.

Over the last 40-50 years they haven’t had the try that hard to get that technology, the overwhelming majority was served up on a plate.