Advertisement
South China Sea
ChinaMilitary

China’s first Type 075 ship to be based in Hainan amid South China Sea tension

  • The vessel, China’s largest amphibious assault ship, could be used as a landing platform for air strikes against Taiwan, observers say
  • The Chinese military recently said it had staged a live-fire drill in the South China Sea, with photos showing an armed helicopter landing on a deck

Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
An armed helicopter lands on a deck in a PLA live-fire exercise in the South China Sea last month. Photo: PLA Navy
Minnie Chan
China’s first Type 075 landing helicopter assault dock is expected to be deployed in the South China Sea rather than the East China Sea, highlighting its potential use in confrontations in the disputed waters as well as the potential Taiwan missions for which it was designed.
Advertisement

Satellite images obtained last month by Washington think tank the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) showed the amphibious assault vessel berthed in Sanya on the southern island province of Hainan, on the doorstep of the South China Sea.

Designed for a possible war to try to take Taiwan, it is likely to join the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA’s) naval fleet in the Southern Theatre Command, tasked with monitoring the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, according to War Industry Black Technology, a social media account run by a former PLA official, on Monday.

The Type 075 is expected to be commissioned next year then deployed to the South Sea Fleet. Able to carry an estimated 30 helicopters and hundreds of troops, it is China’s largest amphibious assault ship – and the world’s third-largest, behind the United States’ Wasp-class and America-class ships.

Satellite images from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies showed the Type 075 moored at Yulin Naval Base in Hainan. Photo: CSIS
Satellite images from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies showed the Type 075 moored at Yulin Naval Base in Hainan. Photo: CSIS
Advertisement

“If the PLA wants to take Taiwan back, it’s necessary for the eastern and southern theatre commands to work together in a joint operation,” military commentator and former PLA instructor Song Zhongping said.

Advertisement