> What use is a large population that is poorly educated and financially constrained?

Sounds like China in the 1980s, when Apple first began manufacturing in China...

China's population in the 1980 was poor but was much better educated than most countries at the same GDP level. And a larger part of the population got basic education. This is important when you have to read instructions. (meanwhile India's literacy rate is at the level of a middle of pack African country)

“History never repeats itself, but it does often rhyme.” :)

> China's forays on the world stage are because of money and its increasingly wealthy, educated population.

That's a very reductionist point of view which glosses over history.

>China's forays on the world stage are because of money and its increasingly wealthy, educated population.

Deng Xiaoping started Chinese economic reform. You might want to check out China before Deng. its a poorly educated and financially constrained country.

Do you need an educated labor force to assemble iPhone?

>Do you need an educated labor force to assemble iPhone?

Yes you do.

"Low-skill" workers with basic education (reading, writing, counting, some understanding of some scientific concepts) will simply perform better.

And you still need engineers and other high-skill workers to supervise, maintain, perform quality control, improve methods etc..

The thing is China (at least until quite recently) had a huge quantity of those and at a rather low price.