Chinese ‘Invasion Barges’ Raise Fears of Taiwan Assault

[Social Media]

 

China’s military has been spotted conducting drills with massive amphibious landing barges in the South China Sea, raising concerns that these specialized vessels could play a crucial role in a potential invasion of Taiwan. The footage, which surfaced on Chinese social media before being removed, shows the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) testing the Shuiqiao barges—large vessels equipped with retractable bridges designed to unload heavy military equipment onto enemy shores.

 

BREAKING: China unveiled its new huge ”invasion barges” during an amphibious landing exercise near Zhanjiang. The barges will make it possible for China to move large amounts of military equipment to a shore without docking facilities.  Ships would dock with barges, unload tanks, trucks and other armored vehicles which could then drive to shore across 120 meter long arm acting as a bridge. Such barges could be used for military operations against Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, the Philippines and other areas near the South China Sea.

BREAKING:

China unveiled its new huge ”invasion barges” during an amphibious landing exercise near Zhanjiang.

The barges will make it possible for China to move large amounts of military equipment to a shore without docking facilities.

Ships would dock with barges, unload… pic.twitter.com/2eAXTW4Zrp

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) March 13, 2025

 

Defense analysts have likened these barges to the Mulberry harbors used in the 1944 Normandy landings, highlighting their ability to bypass beach defenses and make previously unsuitable landing sites viable for an assault. The presence of these vessels in military exercises is seen as a potential warning sign of China’s readiness to take military action against Taiwan, which Beijing claims as part of its territory.

 

Reports indicate that between three and five of these barges were constructed in Guangzhou shipyard in southern China, each completed in just a few months despite development beginning in 2022. Their appearance in drills near Zhanjiang, Guangdong—600 miles from Taiwan—suggests China is refining its amphibious warfare capabilities.

 

 

Naval analyst HI Sutton, who first reported on the barges in January, described them as “tailor-made for an amphibious assault.” He noted that while China might argue these ships have civilian applications, their size and purpose-built design make such claims unlikely.

 

 

Dr. Emma Salisbury, a research fellow at the Council on Geostrategy, believes these barges could solve a long-standing logistical challenge for China in mounting a full-scale invasion. “A core problem for the PRC in invading Taiwan is getting the necessary heavy equipment over the Strait – and the solution to that problem is what we are seeing with these barges,” she told The Telegraph. “While landing forces on contested shores is always going to be difficult, these barges look to be ideal for moving tanks, armored vehicles, and the like quickly and safely on to shore.”

 

Allowing information about these barges to reach the public, she added, underscores China’s growing threat in the region. The vessels perform a function similar to the U.S. military’s Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore system (JLOTS), which was used in an attempt to deliver aid to Gaza last year but was operational for only 20 days due to weather, technical, and security issues.

 

However, not all analysts believe these barges will play a decisive role in an invasion scenario. Timothy R. Heath, a senior international defense researcher at RAND, pointed out that the slow-moving barges would be easy targets in a battle. “The slow-moving barges are easily targeted so they are unlikely to survive in the middle of a battle on the beaches,” he told The Telegraph. He noted that China already has military-grade amphibious assault ships that are better suited for deploying armored vehicles. Instead, Heath suggested that the barges might be intended for humanitarian missions in regions with poor port infrastructure.

 

Despite this, defense analyst and former submariner Tom Shugart warned that Taiwan and the U.S. should remain on high alert. While the footage does not indicate an imminent attack, he wrote on X that concerns should grow “for when they’ve fully tested these and perhaps built many more.”

 

China’s rapidly expanding naval capabilities are adding to these anxieties. A recent report from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies highlights that China has built the equivalent of the entire Royal Navy in just a few years, surpassing the U.S. Navy in sheer hull count and nearing its fleet tonnage. Between 2019 and 2023, Chinese shipyards in Dalian, Guangzhou, Jiangnan, and Hudong-Zhonghua collectively produced at least 39 warships—exceeding the Royal Navy’s total battle force fleet.

 

With Beijing’s military ambitions continuing to grow, these developments signal an increasingly tense geopolitical landscape, particularly as China strengthens its ability to project power across the Taiwan Strait.

 

Based on a report by The Telegraph  2025-03-17

 

 

[Chomper Higgot]

China got the memo.

 

Invasions are acceptable.

[Tug]

They know trump won’t stand up to any aggressive moves by a big power he has America in full retreat surrender at all costs.

[JonnyF]

1 hour ago, Chomper Higgot said:

China got the memo.

 

Invasions are acceptable.

 

Trump protects the US borders.

 

Because he is the President of the US.

 

Nobody appointed him the world's policeman. 

 

[Chomper Higgot]

2 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

 

Trump protects the US borders.

 

Because he is the President of the US.

 

Nobody appointed him the world's policeman. 

 

 Because you think America’s strategic interests end at the U.S. border.

[Bkk Brian]

1 hour ago, Chomper Higgot said:

China got the memo.

 

Invasions are acceptable.

Well they started developing these barges in 2022, must have been acceptable by then...........

[Patong2021]

5 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

 

Trump protects the US borders.

 

Because he is the President of the US.

 

Nobody appointed him the world's policeman. 

 

US has conidered Taiwan to be a trading partner valuable to US interests.

Loss of Taiwan allows China to control  shipping routes critical to US interests.

USA is now seen as weak. Dropping bombs on houthis is not strength.

[Patong2021]

Just now, Bkk Brian said:

Well they started developing these barges in 2022, must have been acceptable by then...........

 

developed but not built. Recently built.

[rough diamond]

12 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

Nobody appointed him the world's policeman. 

Thank God.

[JonnyF]

12 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

 Because you think America’s strategic interests end at the U.S. border.

 

So you want them to go to war with China?

 

And Russia presumably?

 

Sounds like a great idea. 

[Bkk Brian]

5 minutes ago, Patong2021 said:

 

developed but not built. Recently built.

How do you know? 

 

Do you know when these pics were taken?

 

[Chomper Higgot]

5 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

 

So you want them to go to war with China?

 

And Russia presumably?

 

Sounds like a great idea. 

That’s a baseless conclusion.

 

My view is Trump has signaled his support for wars of conquest.

 

In doing so he has made war more likely.

 

[Patong2021]

6 minutes ago, Bkk Brian said:

How do you know? 

 

Do you know when these pics were taken?

 

 

 

https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2025/01/china-suddenly-building-fleet-of-special-barges-suitable-for-taiwan-landings/

 

The discovery of the building process was a few months ago.

[bendejo]

A weakened US gov't and military, a buffoon in the WH with a short leash on Congress, a fools' parade for a cabinet, a foreign agent inside the info vaults of the US, and a reduction in US military: great time for a war.

 

[Oliver Holzerfilled]

17 minutes ago, Bkk Brian said:

How do you know? 

 

Do you know when these pics were taken?

 

 

Might be from March 14, 2024. 

http://pic.people.com.cn/BIG5/n1/2024/0317/c1016-40197239-2.html

 

 

[Bkk Brian]

20 minutes ago, Patong2021 said:

 

https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2025/01/china-suddenly-building-fleet-of-special-barges-suitable-for-taiwan-landings/

 

The discovery of the building process was a few months ago.

Edit, see post above mine, that pic was 14th March 2024.............

[Bkk Brian]

22 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

That’s a baseless conclusion.

 

My view is Trump has signaled his support for wars of conquest.

 

In doing so he has made war more likely.

 

Why did Biden not give Ukraine the weapons it needed to claim land back. Only ever gave just enough to try and defend itself. A few weeks before Trump took over Biden finally gave a handful of longer range atacms

[bendejo]

So they are sort of like aircraft carriers (floating cities) but without the flight decks, helipads of course.