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According to media reports, China is building a series of “D-Day-style” barges that could be used to assist in an invasion of Taiwan.
According to Naval News, at least three of the new ships have been spotted at the Guangzhou Shipyard in southern China.
The barges are inspired by World War II “Mulberry ports,” which were portable ports built for the Allied campaign in Normandy, France, in 1944, The Telegraph reported.
Tensions between both nations have intensified in recent years. A number of barges were reportedly seen in China, raising fears of an invasion of Taiwan. (Getty Images)
tensions between China and Taiwana key partner of the United States in the Indo-Pacific region, have been exacerbated by Beijing’s refusal to recognize the island nation’s independence.
In its report last week, Naval News said at least three, but probably five or more, barges were seen at the Chinese shipyard in Guangzhou. The barges, longer than 390 feet, can be used to reach a coastal road or a hard surface beyond a beach, according to the report.
In his New Year message, the Chinese leader Xi Jinping He said “reunification” with Taiwan is inevitable.
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Taiwan President Lai Ching-te and David Trulio, 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 ties and no one can stop the historic trend of national reunification,” he said on CCTV, China’s state broadcaster.
Using barges, Chinese forces could land in areas previously considered unsuitable, including rocky or soft terrain and beaches. where tanks and other heavy equipment can be delivered on firmer ground or a coastal highway, according to the report.
“Any invasion of Taiwan from the mainland would require a large number of ships to transport personnel and equipment across the strait quickly, particularly land assets such as armored vehicles,” Emma Salisbury, sea power researcher at the Geostrategy Council, told Naval News. . “In preparation for an invasion, or at least to give China the option as leverage, I would expect to see an increase in the construction of ships that could perform this transportation.”
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Fox News Digital has contacted the Department of Defense, the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C.., and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office, also in Washington.
