I don't see what the mutual dependency is. They sent us cheap shit for a few decades, we gave them dollars in return. Our inflation rate was super low, as we were exporting our inflation. We slowly lost the ability to make stuff domestically. That system is now crumbling, China is using their exports to buy gold instead. We are left with a hollowed out economy based on services and finance. The DOD is having a big problem building ships and submarines. Nuclear power plants can't be built affordably. In some ways, China is in the same position as the USA was during WW2, the world's factory.