I'm highly dubious the post WW2 economic boom is much more than the after glow of the US being the only industrial nation on the face of the Earth that didn't get bombed [0] to smithereens. China couldn't pose an economic rivalry at the time because it wasn't significantly industrial and had had years of civil war before the Japanese threat came in, Europe was a burnt husk, and Japan had weak industry even before it was bombed and cowed.
And yes China did what most industrializing nations do, sacrifice their environment and burn natural resources at prodigious rates to super charge and grow their economy. It's a horrible place to be long term and even China is starting to implement some environmental protections because that kind of pollution is terrible long term. They're even seeing their neighbors do the same thing that drove so much of US production to China, cheaper labor and fewer government hurdles, it's a cycle many countries have followed.
[0] In any meaningful capacity, have to say it or the pedants will mention Pearl Harbor or the tiny number of attacks from things like balloon bombs etc.
And yes China did what most industrializing nations do, sacrifice their environment and burn natural resources at prodigious rates to super charge and grow their economy. It's a horrible place to be long term and even China is starting to implement some environmental protections because that kind of pollution is terrible long term. They're even seeing their neighbors do the same thing that drove so much of US production to China, cheaper labor and fewer government hurdles, it's a cycle many countries have followed.
[0] In any meaningful capacity, have to say it or the pedants will mention Pearl Harbor or the tiny number of attacks from things like balloon bombs etc.