China has showcased its newest warship, designed to launch amphibious landings, in a series of military drills in the South China Sea.
The unveiling of the fourth Type 075 Amphibious Assault Ship, CNS Hubei, comes as Taiwan continues to ramp up defensive military drills to prepare for a long-anticipated Chinese invasion.
China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy’s Type 075 is capable of deploying troops from helicopters while also transporting tanks, armoured vehicles and landing craft.
Tensions between China and several neighbours within the highly contested South China Sea have escalated as Chinese naval drills intensify, leading Taiwan’s deputy foreign minister to state that he expected an invasion attempt in the near future.
“The population need to not be naive like in the past. China is preparing to invade Taiwan,” Wu Chihchung declared in early August.
Despite these warnings, continued practice drills and China’s persistent vow to “reunify” with self-governing Taiwan, roughly 65% of Taiwan’s population doesn’t believe China will attack in the next five years, according to the military-affiliated Institute for National Defense and Strategic Research (INDSR).
China has also deployed 11 or so Coast Guard vessels to the Second Thomas Shoal, a submerged reef in the disputed Spratly Islands, in a show of aggression against the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
Philippine military officials claimed to observe Chinese vessels “practising the employment of water cannons” while chaperoned by military aircraft.
This claim is consistent with a growing pattern with China’s navy across the last two years, which has seen more and more vessels, including the latest Type 075 deployment, frequent the shoal.
Earlier this month, a Chinese naval ship was also filmed colliding with one of its country’s coast guard vessels while chasing a Philippine patrol boat, causing significant damage to both crafts.
Other incidents in the region include a last-minute warning from China towards Australia as it forced the latter country to divert commercial flights away from the region so the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s could conduct live-fire drills from ships sailing in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand.
Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles labelled the move as being “very disconcerting for the planes that were flying.”
The US, UK and other allied nations, including Australia, South Korea, France and Germany, has responded to these aggressions by ramping up cooperation through numerous drills and operations, including the Talisman Sabre 2025 exercise.
Held from July 13 to August 4, this was the 11th and largest iteration of the multinational military exercise, held in Australia, marking the US decision to make its Indo-Pacific strategy a priority.
China criticised Australia, calling it a “U.S. tool” for hosting the U.S. Dark Eagle hypersonic missile as part of the war games, as the weapon, capable of speeds exceeding 3,800 mph, was used outside the US mainland for the first time.