Beijing's floating port fleet sparks Taiwan invasion concerns
The Chinese military has commenced sea maneuvers, utilizing ships the size of floating ports. This fleet enables unprecedented scale landing operations. With these units, Beijing could quickly gain control over Taiwan and the entire South China Sea region.
For the first time, China organized maneuvers using ships that resemble floating ports. These units are enormous, ranging from 361 to 607 feet in length. They are equipped with extendable road bridges that allow for quick connection to land. These bridges can extend up to 459 feet.
The Telegraph cites experts noting that these bridges can be connected. This way, they can create an effective crossing with a total length of up to 0.6 miles.
The construction of specialist barges like this is one of the indicators defense analysts watching to provide early warning of a potential invasion, writes maritime and underwater forces expert H.I. Sutton in Naval News. Sutton was the first to notice this impressive fleet.
Tanks, combat vehicles, and weapons can be transported on these ships. The transportation of heavy equipment remains one of the biggest challenges for the Chinese in a potential military invasion of Taiwan. These maneuvers aim to help Beijing address this issue.
The Chinese are concealing maneuvers, keeping ships under wraps
Although some experts suggest that the slow-moving units could be easy targets for aviation, they also note that China’s advantage in the South China Sea is growing. This type of fleet could enable Beijing to assert control over the entire area.
Unofficial recordings and photos from the maneuvers have surfaced online. Beijing does not acknowledge possessing a fleet of "port-ships." Materials from the exercises were immediately removed from Chinese social media. The maneuvers occurred from late January to mid-March.
