Concerning Chinese manufacturing quality, it's clear that you get what you pay for (and if of course, you QC the product). I do all my PPRuNeing on a Macbook Pro and an iPhone. They are made in China and the build quality and reliability is superb, as you would expect when the buyer is Apple.
On the other hand, I have read from a seemingly knowledgeable source that there are instances where Chinese suppliers of high-quality electronic parts for US companies, build shadow factories that produce the same branded parts and sell them for their own account.
Getting back to Continental, I suspect the discussions about the Chinese interest in diesel technology may be correct. On the other hand, maybe Plan B is to close the plant after a few years due to "continuing losses" and sell the parts and equipment to a scrap company who then coincidentally finds a willing buyer in China.
