China’s latest stealth fighter might be cloned from the debris of a shot-down U.S. Air Force F-117. Chinese naval warplanes are reverse-engineered Soviet designs, as is its navy’s only aircraft carrier.
For decades, China has copied many of its military systems from foreign-made originals. It’s a hallmark of a fast-growing power just finding its footing in the high-tech world.
The latest example? A first-person-shooter video game, developed by China’s Giant Network Technology Co. and backed by the People’s Liberation Army. It’s apparently modeled on the U.S. Army–made shooter America’s Army.
Like its American counterpart, introduced as a recruiting tool in 2002, Glorious Mission begins with simulated basic training before deploying the player to an imaginary battleground to duke it out in close-quarters combat. News reports show scores of Chinese troops dutifully gaming away in front of their computer screens. . .