Allow me to point out to you that a “modern” navy was not required at Dunkirk. Likewise, the PT boats of WWII and the marine river craft of Vietnam were not very “modern”. Thousands of little craft carrying platoons across 110 miles is certainly very doable and actually very difficult to defend against if you do not control the air.
Combine that with a few larger naval craft, helicopters for both attack, rescue and transport and airplanes for paratroopers and amphibious assault, and you can build a LOW tech, high number reasonable chance of success in a short period of time. Remember, Victor/Liberty ships in WWII were being completed in 60 days.
I have a pretty good idea.
Allow me to point out to you that a “modern” navy was not required at Dunkirk.
Dunkirk was an EVACUATION, not an invasion. Two totally different things. One thing to frantically try to escape somewhere without all of your equipment and supplies (which were left at Dunkirk), another completely different thing to make an opposed invasion.
And the majority of the troops evacuated at Dunkirk were evacuated by the Royal Navy, despite the involvement of small British civilian craft to pick up some of the troops.
Thousands of little craft carrying platoons across 110 miles is certainly very doable and actually very difficult to defend against if you do not control the air.
And armor, heavy artillery, and the obscene amount of supplies needed for modern combat are carried in these little craft?
Opposed amphibious invasions are the most complex thing in warfare. Such an invasion of Taiwan would be more difficult and complex than either the invasion of Okinawa or Normandy in World War II. And the PRC has ZERO experience in conducting one.
Remember, Victor/Liberty ships in WWII were being completed in 60 days.
And were essentially unarmed.
Also keep in mind we're so used to fighting fanatical/suicidal enemies now, and the odd example of the Japanese in World War II, that we can forget that not everyone is the same. While the initial Chinese forces in the Korean War were pretty ideologically motivated and fanatical, we killed all those guys, and otherwise in Chinese history there's no particular pattern of suicidal/fighting to the death military forces.