Two Type 075 amphibious assault ships of PLA Navy, the Guangxi and the Hainan, sail in formation at an undisclosed sea region in 2022. Photo: Screenshot of a video released by the PLA Navy.
A Type 075 amphibious assault ship of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy has reportedly sailed across the first island chain and entered the Pacific Ocean for an apparent far seas exercise, with analysts on Tuesday highlighting the drill location’s strategic significance over the Taiwan question.
The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force spotted a PLA Navy Type 052 series destroyer and a Type 075 amphibious assault ship on Saturday, after which they sailed toward the Pacific Ocean through waters between Okinawa Island and Miyako Island, Japan’s Ministry of Defense Joint Staff said in a press release on Monday.
Observers noted on Tuesday that the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force failed to release photos of the Chinese ships as it usually does. It also failed to identify the exact type of the Type 052 destroyer.
This region is of strategic significance, especially for amphibious forces, as it is located to the east of the island of Taiwan, a Beijing-based milit expert told the Global Times.
The eastern side of the island of Taiwan geographically lacks proper landing grounds for landing ships and landing craft. However, the Type 075 is capable of hosting vertical landing operations by carrying a large number of helicopters, making the eastern side of the island viable for landing operations if need be, the expert said.
According to a press release by the island of Taiwan’s defense authority on Monday, two PLA helicopters were spotted operating to the east of the island on Sunday, but the island’s defense authority did not release any information about the presence of a Type 075 in the region, nor did it elaborate if these helicopters came from the Type 075 or other warships.
The region can allow an aircraft carrier to not only attack the island of Taiwan from the east, but also block potential milit interference by external forces such as the US and Japan, analysts said.
With the cover of an aircraft carrier group, amphibious forces can conduct landing operations more safely, they said.
