Some consumers look for bargains to fit within strict budgets. Some limit themselves to certain brand names based on confidence in service should malfunctions occur. Some search out impeccable workmanship with less concern for cost. Some have abandoned any hard and fast rule, and some fear communism. They all shop accordingly.
Some consumers even use their purchasing power to express their views on social or political issues.
Esteem for a company can also be built by responding to the social and political leanings of specific age groups, ethnicities, or genders - while totally circumventing the value of the product or service actually being sold. And if American companies can earn consumer esteem by tapping into national patriotism or xenophobic fears, you can be fairly certain they'll take the consumer's invitation to do so. Ironically, in the case of China, the prospect of opening their economy to international competition might be the only hope of addressing the existing political problems that frighten patriotic Americans most, not to mention being a fairly efficient cure for Chinese manufacturing errors. And it's clear that refusing to trade with the Chinese won't shame them into a rejection of totalitarian tactics and communistic policies.