Interestingly enough, Qing China actually had purchased more advanced military equipment than Japan at the start of the Sino-Japanese War. On paper, at least, the Beiyang fleet at the Battle of the Yalu River was the superior force - unfortunately for them, so crippled by corruption and lack of training that those advantages were squandered.

Krupp and Armstrong made boat-loads of money selling top-of-the-line hardware to China during this whole self-strengthening movement.