As far as I can see, OP did not suggest anybody among respondents was a tinfoil hat wearer. He suggested certain posts might have made him feel like he was accused of being a tinfoil hat wearer.
Back on topic, seems to me there are two aspects to consider.
1) Can the apparatus actually do any harm, even if it is malicious? Some folks seem content to say ‘No’, on the basis that they can’t think of how such harm can occur.
I think that’s missing the point that government sponsored hackers are probably cleverer than anybody here. There’s probably hundreds of exploits waiting to be discovered. Just because we can’t think of any harm doesn’t mean state spooks can’t.
2) Is Chinese apparatus any more of a risk than other Nations? Some folks rightly point out that if Chinese companies can do it, so could others, reasoning that make Chinese stuff equally safe/unsafe.
I think that’s folly. The difference is that whilst (say) the US might try to influence Apple or Google, or the German government might try and influence Siemens, they’d meet strong resistance both from the Companies at corporate level and from individual engineer employees, because these are free countries. Under Chinese law, my understanding is a company can’t say ‘No’ to a request to aid state security. There is very limited freedom of thought for Chinese workers who, for example, continue to be denied the truth about the 1989 Tiananmen square massacre. It’s a mistake to compare the risk from such a country with the risk from free-thinking countries.
Just my thoughts, others are welcome to their own.