Taiwan launches amphibious transport dock to meet defence needs in South China Sea
- The US$162 million vessel will be sent to Taipei-controlled islets in the disputed waterway, among other missions
- President Tsai Ing-wen calls it another milestone for the island’s shipbuilding programme
“The launch of the navy’s first 10,000-tonne LPD, built in line with our defence needs, represents another milestone for our indigenous shipbuilding programme,” Tsai said at the ceremony held at the shipyard of its builder, CSBC Corporation.
She said the new amphibious transport dock – named Yushan after the island’s highest mountain – would help the navy strengthen its defences.
CSBC chairman Cheng Wen-lon said the vessel was expected to go into service next year.
“In peacetime, the ship will be used to transport personnel and supplies to [Taiwan-controlled] offshore islands, and during natural disasters it can serve as a hospital ship for humanitarian assistance as well as disaster relief missions,” Cheng said at the ceremony.
“In wartime, it can serve as an amphibious vessel for combat operations,” he said, adding that it could be used for long missions at sea.
Cheng said the vessel – at 153 metres long and 23 metres wide – could carry more than 670 personnel along with landing craft, helicopters, amphibious assault vehicles, and light and heavy utility vehicles. It has a range of up to 11,265km (7,000 miles).
US-China relations: military tensions continue to rise over Taiwan
Work began on the LPD in 2019, with the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology responsible for integrating its combat systems.
Navy officials said it would be used for missions including to the Pratas Islands, or Dongsha in Chinese, and to Taiping Island, both controlled by Taiwan and located in the South China Sea. Taiwan is reportedly expanding the runway at Pratas and the pier at Taiping.
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Why has the relationship between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan taken a turn for the worse?
Beijing sees Taiwan as part of its territory and has vowed to bring the self-ruled island under its control, by force if needed. It has stepped up military intimidation of the island, including by sending warplanes into Taiwan’s air defence identification zone on an almost daily basis since last year, and increased pressure on Tsai, who has refused to accept the one-China principle. Beijing has also been angered by closer ties between Taipei and Washington.
Taiwan launched its new vessel as tensions are rising in the region, with both the US and PLA navies sending aircraft carrier strike groups to the South China Sea, and the PLA staging drills near Taiwan.
It prompted Washington to warn Beijing not to risk military conflict, and to stop intimidating Taiwan. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told NBC on Sunday that the US was concerned about “increasingly aggressive actions by the government in Beijing directed at Taiwan, raising tensions”.
He said Washington had a long-standing commitment under the Taiwan Relations Act to ensure that the island “has the ability to defend itself” and to ensure peace and security in the western Pacific. “It would be a serious mistake for anyone to try to change that status quo by force,” Blinken said.
