So, this confirms why Huawei was banned. Blame the uk since they worked with Huawei to secure their products...until the USA ordered the UK to stop doing so and instead ban Huawei.

I missed where it said anyone was spying. In fact, I'd be amazed if this wasn't being exploited by the CIA (et al) more than anyone else - after all, they're the masters of spying.

...don't tell everybody!

Limited protection. The actions don't seem to be having a huge effect, at least in the medium and longer term. Certainly not in China, and time will tell how effective the protectionism will be outside once Huawei start to expand its focus worldwide.
The sanctions have helped China focus its development on certain things that it previously didn't need to due to them being readily available for a fair price. They had other more things to focus on, but the sanctions changed the priorities.
The problem is that Americans seem to think that they are exceptional and that the Chinese are stupid people who can't work out how to do things themselves without American help. Americans seem to be especially hung up on copying, when it is clearly the most efficient way to make progress, and their IP system has so obviously become broken to the point where it is no longer fit for purpose and just serves to keep others down/subservient.

Clearly, you're joking. Western companies have made massive profits from China. China has played its hand well, for sure. As for {,m}any developing country, they trade market access for things that benefit them, including IP. They correctly recognised the eagerness of (eg) the USA for China to open up, and that the value is in their massive market, and rightly took advantage of it. Imo, they did so quite fairly, on the whole, while they developed their country, including wrt IP laws and enforcement. TRIPS ftw.

Imo, a lot of those super apps you referred to also base their "miniapp" ecosystems on web technologies and a webview.
As such, Apple only allows use of Webkit /safari which doesn't work too well, or at least it works "different". So, since Apple is smaller than "everyone else" developers target "full functionality" at everyone else (where chromium works) and reduce the offering in terms of functionality/features for Apple.

I don't know for sure that this is the wht, but it is absolutely noticeable that offerings on Apple is worse. Even my non-techie wife has noticed - actually, she pointed it out (since she was forced to use the iPhone because it was the best unused "test" phone I had lying around). Maybe there's some other reason...

Me too, kinda.

Some might be lucky if they choose the dominant tech, but there are so many smart arses around that think they know better that whole genres of tech get fragmented to hell, so picking one with longevity is a challenge/gamble.

I just got fed up with the churn - it's just not fun any more - and have enough savings. Maybe.

It isn't.
Next.

Iinm, there are several providers in the UK that don't charge extra for roaming in the USA. Three and O2 are ones too look into, and there are probably others.
I'm not sure how viable such options are for long term usage, but it's something.

You're talking nonsense. It's a developing country so things go from worse to better, just like anywhere.

China is not a hostile nation. That is the USA, as it always is. ALWAYS.

TRIPS FTW.

Indeed, and they're using coal increasingly cleanly and developing tech to store the emitted carbon.

Just saying "coal" is disingenuous and misleading.

I suggest you're talking out of your arse.

Then the only solution is war, until everyone adopts the values of the USA.
That sure sounds like what the USA claims of those other countries. Of course, war is the foundation of the USA so it's not really much of a surprise.