Last week, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) declared an end to its live-fire military exercises. An enraged Beijing kicked off the drills in response to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan during her recent trip to Asia. The exercises presented a rare window for the outside world to examine the PLA’s strength, offered clues to how Beijing plans to take over Taiwan militarily, and served as a reminder that Beijing has consistently matched its rhetoric with actions.