By the late 1970s technical stagnation had reduced the PRC military capability to insignificance except for masses of infantry troops. Production technology had stagnated at the level provided by the USSR in the 1950s. Chinese tanks were so poor that China had dropped to 15–20 percent of output capacity to avoid arming the PLA with equipment that will only cause casualties to itself and not to Soviet or Vietnamese forces.
In contrast after the Cold War, and increasingly in recent years, China has become a cauldron of weapons innovation, blasting out a bewildering array of new ground combat systems. Various factors are in play. Thanks to the miracle of compound interst, China has money burning a hole in its pocket, eager to reverse a century of humiliation. Diverse geography requires a diversity of weapons specialized for specific terrains. Competing enterrpises produce competing products. And any number of new designs are offered for sale at international arms shows. Some of these designs enter large scale production, while others are elusive vaporware.
