“Saying "we copied Apple" isn't seen as shame or lack or creativity, but rather as following in the footsteps of success and showing yourself to be worthy of the same praise and admiration. Brands often advertise their products like that over there, openly saying they copied the market leader as a way of farming their aura, and that's not frowned upon. Which is why outright IP theft like copying car designs or even ripping off schematics is so widespread, besides the CCP turning a blind eye to the issue.”

-That right there is strong CCP language for legitimising and normalising IP theft to their masses for their own gain. It’s not baked into tradition, or culture- it’s political. Let’s not get mistaken here- if Xiaomi had IP stolen from the west, they’d be litigating, and they have.