One of my favorite knives is a Chinese clone of a fox 478. Lock up is just as strong if not stronger than my real foxes, I wouldn't know I've never abuse a real one, but the steel is mooore than adequate for the whopping $12 that I paid for it. The scales, machining, lock up and everything are amazing for a knock off. It doesn't feel like a clone in the hand.
I think China will probably always be better at making affordable knock offs then quality original items. China is known for quantity, not quality.