China Military Marks 80th Anniversary

I always thought China was older.

China's military is celebrating its 80th birthday Wednesday with snazzy new uniforms, lavish exhibitions and a degree of transparency for a force long swathed in secrecy.

So when did China's military go Broadway?

Yet even with the public relations drive, the buildup of the People's Liberation Army continues to stir concern among some of China's neighbors. Observers say the new openness—touted as a sign of modernization—remains highly limited.

Yeah, we here in our democracies don't like secrets in our government business. That only leads to scandals like the Vice President claiming he isn't part of the executive branch, missing e-mails, unexplained firings of nine attorneys, lies that lead to war, secret overseas prisons and the like. Yes sir, we don't like highly limited openness in government.

China's army "is making significant efforts to improve their foreign military exchanges, but still has a long way to go in the area of transparency," said David Shambaugh, an expert on the Chinese military at George Washington University.

I'm actually embarassed. I really am.