Who produces the best scopes now

[Muskett]

In the 80's the Japs build new factories and had new machinery so built scopes. Inexpensive scopes, to compete in the US market.
There was a huge leap in glass technology and laser precision grounding. Came from the spectacle industry. Glass lenses and the improvement in glass clarity had leaped forward and was cheap but very good.
Far East saw others improvements and Japan exported its machinery to Korea for the cheaper labour. Someone else to the Philippines. Well they were the same scopes that used to have Jap made on them.
Jump forward again and with Chinas boom, they built new factories and new machinery with all the new technologies. Cheap labour too. Their designs weren't great nor the execution; read crap. But they gained some experience, given some advice, and design expertise from the established brands, and now they are starting to produce scopes worth having. A lot of investment. Other, US, manufacturers buy in parts from China to their specs. They might add their own coating too, even tubes, as its all about price and China does it for peanuts. The important bit is they select the quality and specs, even do the designs.
China has the least expensive labour and the newest machinery.
But it remains the very best scopes are made at home, not China. Europe, USA, and Japan do make the best but with their labour costs non are cheap. Some will have Chinese parts but not all as Chinas quality control isn't always good enough for the best. Best machines are still in Europe and in truth glass too. Plus the coating technology can be expensive and a trade secret as too much has been invested in them; can;'t give all the advantages away. Swaro, Zeiss, Vortex, and few others still do it all in house for their top of the range, and that the chinese can't do yet. But that doesn't come cheap.

Just be selective in what you really want.