This growing military buildup is having an impact. Just compare China's failed attempts to intimidate Taiwan a decade ago with its ability to take the island today. In 1996, military exercises by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) off the coast of Taiwan failed to deter islanders from decisively electing President Lee Teng-hui, whom Beijing accused of harboring pro-independence sentiments. That was, in part, because the PLA was then too weak to constitute a credible threat. Its army-dominated high command was unable even to coordinate the 1996 maneuvers with Chinese marines, air and naval forces, while its most modern Russian Sukhoi Su-27 fighters used old-fashioned non-precision-guided "dumb" bombs. No one took seriously the idea of a naval blockade, let alone an amphibious invasion, especially after the PLA was humiliated by its inability to match President Bill Clinton's deployment of two U.S. Navy aircraft carrier battle groups near Taiwan.
Now fast forward to last August, when the PLA staged sophisticated war games with its Russian counterparts for the first time since the Communist revolution, under the double-edged title of "Peace Mission 2005." This time, Chinese army, marine, air and naval forces had no problem coordinating their maneuvers, not just with each other, but also with their Russian counterparts. PLA air-force fighters conducted exercises with information provided by Russian A-50 AWACS surveillance aircraft, while PLA and Russian navy units staged joint anti-ship, air defense and anti-submarine operations. The final stage of the exercise showed just how much China has improved its amphibious landing capabilities over the past decade. PLA army and marine units, assisted by airborne troops, linked up with their Russian counterparts to simulate an opposed shore landing of the type expected to form part of any invasion of Taiwan.
Admittedly, the level of coordination between the various forces during this exercise fell far short of the way American forces work so seamlessly together in joint operations. But that should not obscure the point that, in the space of a decade, the PLA has begun an IT-centered transformation that closely follows the U.S. model.
