If it was labelled Ni-Cad, you got what you paid for (Chinese or not). NiMH is a subsequent battery composition/technology that is better but also inferior.
Li-ion batteries are higher energy with no "memory effect" and Li-ion (chinese or not) has other better characteristics compared to the earlier rechargeable batteries.
China is cornering the markets for many rare materials. They use their foreign currency reserve to buy non-Chinese materials before they use their domestic reserve.
