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Bottom line is that the higher quality clones such as JG and Echo 1 (obviously, the P90 isn't a JG rebrand, since JG don't have one) are very decent quality. I wouldn't say their reliability and performance is across the board equal to that of a TM right out of the box. Some units will still can have reliability problems due to quality control. After all, this is Chinese manufacturing. While they're improving by leaps and bounds, they still haven't caught up to the Japanese manufacturers.
Now, where I will part ways a bit with Amos is that with a bit of preventative maintenance and minor upgrades, a good quality Chinese clone can easily outperform a stock TM and can be considered every bit as good as a similar high end gun in terms of performance. You can get a hell of a lot of bang for a lot less buck if you're not overly concerned with brand names. I've seen the performance of my lightly ugpraded JG guns against other brand name guns 2 or more times the price, and I wouldn't even think of trading them.
My almost stock JG HK416 was shooting more accurately and outranging a PTWs at a game last summer when we were shooting them at the range. It's seen about 10 000 rounds without a hiccup and no internal maintenance other than a reshimming and installation of a new ARL. The only performance affecting component that was replaced was the hopup rubber. My JG MP5 has seen 35 000+ rounds so far with a completely stock, never opened mechbox (complete with nylon bushings) and no maintenance (i'm trying to test the gun's longevity with stock internals). To me, that's a level of reliability that even few Systema owners say they've experienced.
But I do agree with Amos that the big part of the equation is the player. In anything, give a pro a useable tool, and he can use it effectively. Give him a premium tool, and he can use it better and even more effectively. I just don't see why someone couldn't consider a good quality, high performance Chinese model to be a premium gun.
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