Well oops! It's made in Taiwan, but I'm sure people will say Taiwan and China are the same thing, which is somewhat true I guess. I changed the title, just incase.
Anyway, it took me 30 seconds with the rotory tool to fix the issue and now the stat fits perfect in the recess.
View attachment 1716271573
View attachment 1716271574
We will see how the cheap water neck holds up over time.