Producer prices and transport prices in the west are also higher. It's harder to sell cheaply. Worker wages, more regulation, etc.

It is not possible to sell cheap stuff in the west at a profit, just try, you will fail, there is competition.

We are not accepting it, nobody can afford it anymore, demand is being destroyed and company earnings are falling. Prices will eventually go down, but they were not super high because of a scam or gouging or price fixing, the market price just rose because of high demand and high production cost, worker shortage, energy prices, etc, it had nothing to do with choice or preference or culture