China’s Specialized Barges Hint at New Ways to Land in Taiwan

Soldiers prepare AAV7 amphibious assault vehicles after an amphibious landing drill during the Han Kuang military exercise, which simulates China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) invading the island, in Pingtung, Taiwan, on July 28, 2022. Annabelle Chih/Getty Images

Commentary

China has quietly begun building at least five specialized barges that appear to be designed for amphibious landings in Taiwan.

These barges, spotted at a shipyard in Guangzhou, feature bow-mounted bridges stretching more than 393 feet and open platforms at the stern. The idea seems to be that they could deliver tanks and other heavy equipment directly onto Taiwan’s shores, potentially bypassing shallow water or rocky beaches.

These barges are too specialized for typical commercial use. A standard cargo ship needs a port or a dockside, not a makeshift bridge, to land on remote coastlines. Some of these vessels even have self-elevating support columns to stabilize them in rough conditions, creating floating piers wherever needed.

Various war simulations suggest that if China tries to invade Taiwan, the real fight will be decided before any beach landings happen.

To pull off a seaborne assault, China would first have to dominate the air, sea, space, and cyber domains. This would mean knocking out Taiwan’s defenses, destroying its missile and air capabilities, and securing total air superiority over the Taiwan Strait. Even then, the 100-mile crossing would give Taiwan ample time to target invasion forces with submarines, naval mines, drones, artillery, and missiles.

Taiwan, for its part, doesn’t plan on letting enemy tanks roll ashore without a fight. Its strategy is to disrupt or destroy any invading force at sea, long before it reaches the beaches. And China would face not just Taiwan’s defenses but potentially U.S. forces operating from nearby bases in Japan, the Philippines, and Guam.

The rationale behind these barge designs may be to give the Chinese military more options for landing in Taiwan if a conflict breaks out. Normally, an amphibious assault would have to stick to the island’s few suitable beaches, which are likely well-defended. But if these barges can set up temporary docks, Chinese forces could open up landing spots previously considered impossible, such as rocky coastlines, soft beaches, or places far from major ports.

Naval News analysts compare the Chinese barges to the D-Day Mulberry harbors used by Allied forces in World War II. The Allies built floating piers off the coast of Normandy to offload troops and supplies after the disastrous raid on Dieppe proved that capturing a well-defended port head-on was too costly. China’s modern barges illustrate this concept yet offer enhanced mobility. However, whether these floating piers—rooted in old-school tactics—would work in a modern, high-tech war remains uncertain.

Emma Salisbury, a research fellow at the Council on Geostrategy, told Naval News that any Chinese invasion of Taiwan would require rapidly transporting troops and equipment across the Taiwan Strait, especially armored vehicles. She said these mobile piers would be ideal for such a job and expects to see more transport vessels built.

She added that China has been building a dual-use fleet of civilian and military roll-on/roll-off (RORO) ferries, many of which meet military specifications and can be quickly drafted into service if needed.

According to a 2024 study by the UK-based Council on Geostrategy, Beijing mandated in 2015 that all newly built civilian ships in key categories—such as container ships and roll-on/roll-off ferries—must meet specific “national defense requirements.” This military-civil fusion strategy has led to vessels equipped with ramps for amphibious landings and flat-deck container ships that can serve as helicopter platforms for transport or refueling.

The study suggests that if China requisitioned its entire dual-capable civilian fleet, its tonnage might exceed the total U.S. amphibious assault fleet.

These barges could also serve as temporary docks for China’s large civilian ferry fleet; many already carry heavy tanks and other military vehicles, further boosting the number of ships available for a cross-strait assault.

Although these specialized barges might hint at serious preparation for an invasion, landing tanks and troops directly onto Taiwan’s main island would be only one phase of a much larger conflict. For now, they serve as a clear reminder that Beijing is thinking about different ways to project power and whether or not such tactics would succeed against a prepared opponent supported by major allies.