Capital will do what it takes to survive, not necessarily what makes the most profit. Capital absolutely will do protectionism and autarky if it's deemed necessary for some form of capitalist class to administrate some working class. China's gamble worked out because it was in the interests of the international bourgeoisie at the time.

Now that we're seeing a re-emergence of ideologically coherent fascism/chauvinism there could arise a situation where the western nations cut off their own nose and break away from China in order to keep their own domestic bourgeoisie in power.