China builds next-gen amphibious barges to flood Taiwan's beaches with tanks, troops
These amphibious vessels, now battling civilian cars and trucks in logistical tests, are raising alarms in Taiwan as they appear designed to land troops and heavy vehicles on contested islands.
Satellite imagery and public domain media confirm that the barges were recently worked on at Guangzhou Shipyard before being trialed offshore.
Each vessel deploys a jack-up platform and a Bailey bridge-style ramp capable of spanning 120 meters (393 feet), enabling direct vehicle transfer from ship to shore over otherwise impassable terrain.
While Chinese commentators highlight these as dual-use platforms, ideal for natural disaster relief, their scale and configuration closely mirror multipurpose invasion barges likened to the London Mulberry systems of WWII fame.
Taiwanese defense officials worry these could bypass fortified beaches and enable rapid PLA landings on offshore islands, such as Kinmen or Matsu, well before the main island defenses can react.
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The barge tests occur amid increasingly robust PLA drills. In late April, the Eastern Theater Command conducted the major 'Strait Thunder‑2025A' exercises, featuring air, sea, naval, and rocket units around Kinmen and Matsu.
Early June saw China's two carriers, Liaoning and Shandong, operate together near Japan and the second island chain, prompting warnings in Tokyo and Taipei.
Today's civilian war game in Taipei saw former US, Japanese, and Taiwanese officials simulate a PLA invasion by 2030. Participants noted Taiwan's coastal islands as the likely initial targets, underscoring Beijing's amphibious strategy.
China, too, appears sharply aware: the PLA staged amphibious landings 1.5 km offshore Fujian Province, with Type‑05 armored vehicles attacking mock beaches.
Taipei's defenders remain anxious. A South China Morning Post report notes growing fear that PLA drills could escalate into real action with 'no time to respond.'
US analysts echo these concerns: Beijing aims to be operationally ready for a Taiwan strike by 2027, known as the 'Davidson window,' according to CIA projections.
The Shuiqiao barges exemplify China's civil‑military fusion model, blending civilian roll‑on/roll‑off ship designs into the PLA amphibious force structure.
That strategy mirrors broader modernization; PLA's Type‑075/076 landing helicopter docks and carrier formations form a triad of increased littoral power.
Analysts warn that the barges open new landing options across Taiwan's coast, especially in under-defended areas and estuaries.
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Their agility and civilian guise complicate Taipei's defensive grid and could pose asymmetric threats to local military calculators.
China's amphibious upgrades come as Beijing ratchets up multi-domain drills surrounding Taiwan, and islands like Kinmen and Matsu are repeatedly overflown and blocked.
This persistent pressure aims to erode Taiwan's buffer zones while familiarizing PLA units with invasion protocols and integration at sea, air, missile, and cyber levels.
For Taiwan, it means tightening island defense, investing in sea-drone swarms, and upgrading missile systems.
Taipei's recent self-led war game revealed brittle interior coherence under pressure, fuelling urgent calls for international backing.
These new amphibious barges, tested with trucks today and tanks tomorrow, are emblematic of Beijing's evolving posture: flexible, covert, and ready for rapid deployment.
As PLA naval and carrier power grows, these floating causeways are a subtle but potent signal. This illustrates how China intends to choke Taiwan's defenses at the periphery before making grander claims for the island.
Given the high frequency of air incursions, maritime drills, naval carrier group passages, and growing US concerns, the timing of this barge patrol is no accident.
They are the architectural blueprints of potential cross-Strait operations in the near future. Especially as China's defense machinery backs up rhetoric with amphibious architecture, the question for Taipei and its allies isn't if but when and how swiftly the PLA might act.
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