the west wing - Why were the writers trying to play up the Chinese as more advanced than the United States?

China is increasingly the centre of production for most of the technology we consume. In part this is because of cheap labour but it also comes down to the fact that China has control of most of the worlds rare earth minerals manufacturing, particularly those used in the manufacture of microchips.

US and other western technology corporations often manufacture their products in China for this very reason, including most of our smartphones and tablets.

China's power in this area has lead to its recent decision to severely reduce exports of rare earth minerals, thus forcing western companies to increasingly relocate their manufacturing in China. This lead to Japan, the US and the EU teaming up to complain to the WTO about China blocking the free trade of these minerals.

There may also be an element of 'Race Trope' going on. The Asian tech-wizard trope perhaps started with the rise of Japanese tech corporations such as Sony and Nintendo, which inspired films such as Bladerunner, but may be updated to China to reflect concerns in the recent shifts in global economic power.