I think one specific difference in CREE's court is that high tech manufacturing of micro-scale devices like wafers is highly automated, hence not as much savings to the company to move to China to lower labor costs especially because dismantling a current production line and moving is very expensive. So at least not enough savings there to possibly risk IP leakage which would drastically cut profits and shareholder prices.
I mean shipping a box load of wafers or even whole leds is cheap. So I think CREE is playing it safe while maintaining profitability. What they'll definitely do is have actual lighting fixtures and electronics built there and assembled then just drop in the American-made led. I think CREE is kinda getting tired of taking a back seat to third party lighting fixture developers some of whom tout the brightness and efficiency of their fixtures with hardly a nod to the actual technology inside.
The perfect example is flashlights. Many a model with outstanding claims of lighting output and efficiency but nary a CREE label to be seen, it's like they're co-opting all the technology saying they have this revolutionary design, some even daring to call it a light engine, you know who I'm talking about, and really the shining star that's responsible for 90% of the claim is CREE whose participation can only be gleaned by those in the know by looking down at the emitter and going "ah so it is a CREE!"
So sadly I know CREE will expand Chinese production but I feel better that the Chinese are probably not going to steal CREE's real IP which will allow them to continue to develope amazing tech though I wish CREE would release something with truly higher surface brightness than the R2 which seems to be kinda a ceiling for them.
