One problem is the US and EU arms embargo against China following the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre, and there is little sign they will lift it any time soon.
There’s also inexperience. Unlike the US, China has not engaged in full battle for three decades. Its last major confrontation was with Vietnam in 1979, and that was hardly a glorious victory. Chinese forces crossed the border to punish Hanoi for invading its ally Cambodia, but Vietnam’s battle-hardened troops gave the Chinese a bloody nose.
China has made some impressive technological advances. The successful missile “kill” of an old satellite in 2007 represented a new level of ability. In January, it successfully tested emerging technology aimed at destroying missiles in mid-air.
Integrating such advances into the country’s vast armed forces could be problematic though.
“The [Sichuan] earthquake in 2008 showed their weakness in joint operations,” said Chong-Pin Lin (林中斌), a professor at Tamkang University’s Graduate Institute of International Affairs and Strategic Studies and former vice defense minister.
After the quake, Chinese soldiers involved in rescue efforts struggled with shortages and bottlenecks magnified by poor coordination between forces and units.
However, China’s military edge over technology powerhouse Taiwan is growing.
Even then, not everyone is convinced China could easily overpower Taiwan, despite its advancing weaponry.
“The point is to make the US military stay at a distance,” said Hsu Yung-ming (徐永明), a political science professor at Soochow University, referring to China’s military modernization.
RSS