French victory over China did not prove the doctrine

France's victory over China raises the question of what the campaign actually demonstrated. French forces used torpedo boats effectively, but they faced a navy recently beaten by Britain and still in the process of building itself into a major force. That operational setting could reward the weapons without validating the larger claim that inexpensive cruisers and torpedo craft could substitute for a balanced navy. The example separates tactical success against one vulnerable opponent from proof that the doctrine would work against a mature naval power.