It is, but as stated in the OP, the decision was a push from me because I didn't want to use yet another AR-15/M-16/M4 variant. The QBZ was kind of a stroke of luck in that regard, not only because of the time period being ideal, but because China actually was Nod aligned in Tiberian Dawn:
It was like getting a weird craving for a very specific flavor of potato chip from a very specific brand, and then spotting a party-sized bag of exactly what you wanted on sale.