According to media reports, China is reportedly building a series of “D-Day style” boats that could be used to aid in an invasion of Taiwan.
At least three new craft have been spotted at the Guangzhou Shipyard in southern China, according to Naval News.
As The Telegraph reports, the boats are inspired by World War II “mulberry harbours”, which were portable harbors built for the Allied campaign in Normandy, France in 1944.
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Tension between the two countries has increased in recent years. A series of boats were reportedly spotted in China, raising fears of an invasion of Taiwan. (Getty Images)
Tension has risen between China and Taiwan, America’s key partner in the Indo-Pacific region, over Beijing’s refusal to recognize the island nation’s independence.
In its report last week, Naval News said at least three but possibly five or more barges were seen at China’s Guangzhou Shipyard. Barges more than 390 feet tall can be used to reach hard surface beyond the coastal road or beach, the report said.
In his New Year message, Chinese leader Xi Jinping said “reunification” with Taiwan is inevitable.
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Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te and David Trulioo, President and CEO of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute, meet in Taipei. (Official photo by Chen Lin/Office of the President/File)
“The people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are one family. No one can break our family bonds, and no one can stop the historical trend of national reunification,” he said on China’s state broadcaster CCTV.
The report said that by using barges, Chinese forces could land in areas previously considered unsuitable, including rocky or soft terrain and beaches where tanks and other heavy equipment could not be delivered over firm ground or a coastal road. Could.
Emma Salisbury, marine energy research fellow at the Council on Geostrategy, told Naval News, “Any invasion of Taiwan from the mainland would require a large number of ships to quickly move personnel and equipment across the strait, especially “Landed assets like armored vehicles.” , “As a preparation for invasion, or at least to give China an option as leverage, I would expect to see the construction of ships that could accomplish this transportation.”
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Fox News Digital has also contacted the Department of Defense, the Chinese Embassy in Washington, DC, and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Washington.
