The People’s Liberation Army Daily published a report that highlighted the urgent need for standardization in the armed forces. The report stated that standardization would multiply the troops’ combat capabilities. Otherwise, the lack of coordinated standardization among the army, navy, and air forces could become the "Achilles heel" of the military forces.
The report cited an example where, during a military exercise, sailors on the four ships were able to hear one another. However, they could not transmit combat data because their information system was not compatible with that of the recipients. In another instance, a brigade in the Second Artillery responded to an emergency with more than 300 vehicles and equipment, but there were as many as 90 different brands and models. The communications battalion alone had 12 different models of generators. The brigade commander complained that if there were a war, they would need to have several truckloads of spare parts.
Source: Ministry of National Defense of China, December 10, 2013
http://news.mod.gov.cn/headlines/2013-12/10/content_4478350.htm