Overview
- A Reuters investigation used satellite imagery and vessel tracking to document mid-August exercises near Jiesheng, Guangdong, involving 12 civilian roll-on/roll-off ferries and deck cargo ships conducting beach landings on August 23.
- Images show deck cargo ships unloading vehicles directly onto beaches via their own ramps, and a self-propelled floating pier reappeared for the first time since 2023.
- Analysts say the practices support multi-point, small-scale landings designed to strain Taiwan’s defenses and could speed the flow of troops, vehicles and supplies ashore.
- China’s commercial shipbuilding accounts for 53% of global output and the PLA can legally requisition civilian vessels, potentially extending lift beyond roughly 20,000 troops carried by dedicated amphibious ships in an initial wave.
- Taiwan’s defense ministry cites continuous oversight and contingency planning, Beijing reiterates reunification rhetoric, and some Taiwanese defense voices question the viability of civilian-based landings or describe the drills as cognitive warfare.