Chinese barges could ‘put a lot of stress’ on Taiwan’s ‘defensive ability’ - 

China is reportedly constructing “D-Day style” barges which could be used in an invasion of Taiwan.

At least three of the new craft have been observed at Guangzhou Shipyard in southern China, according to Naval News.

Experts told The Telegraph that the barges, which seemingly draw inspiration from the “Mulberry Harbours” built for the Normandy landings in 1944, could prove critical in an amphibious invasion of Taiwan.

The vessels reportedly feature a bridge which could be used to transport tanks and supplies across unpassable ground onto the island of Taiwan, which China regards as part of its territory.

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Currently, Taiwanese forces have been operating under the assumption that an attack by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) would have to take place at a handful of strongly defended ports.

By allowing China’s forces to bypass rocky or soft beaches unsuitable for heavy vehicles like tanks, the barges would provide multiple fronts for an invasion while thinning out Taiwanese defences.

China regards Taiwan as part of its territory even though it has been effectively independent since 1949, and regularly threatens it with incursions by warships and fighter jets which stop short of a direct confrontation.

Xi Jinping, the leader of China, said in his New Year’s message two weeks ago that “reunification” with Taiwan was inevitable.

“The people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are one family. No one can sever our family bonds, and no one can stop the historical trend of national reunification,” he said on CCTV, China’s state broadcaster.

It was reported this month that Taiwan’s military is considering recruiting foreign fighters to address a troop shortage amid growing pressure from the PLA.

Meanwhile Donald Trump has appointed a number of hawkish foreign policy advisers to his transition team. However, he has pledged not to allow the US to become involved in foreign wars.

“If these barges have these long roadway bridging systems on them that can go over the beaches to firmer land further back, that creates a new and interesting problem,” said Eric Gomez, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, an international security think tank.

“The areas that the Taiwanese military would be expected to defend suddenly become much more numerous. It could put a lot of stress on their defensive ability.”

However, he said the barges would be vulnerable to anti-ship missiles and “might not be something that you’d want to bring to a landing site that is actively contested because it would be a sitting duck”.

Mark F. Cancian, of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, said China would have to establish “air superiority and maritime dominance” before deploying the barges because they would be destroyed by missiles and artillery.

He added that China was “replicating” the D-Day Mulberry Harbours, which transported thousands of tons of vehicles and supplies to the shore every day.

Each of the Chinese barges reportedly features a 120-metre bridge that would allow tanks and other vehicles to reach a coastal road or hard surface beyond the beach.

Some are said to use pillars which can be lowered to provide a stable platform during poor weather, along with open platforms for other ships to dock and unload.

Prof Lyle Goldstein, of Brown University’s Watson Institute, said there was “clear evidence” that China had “studied Mulberries and other facets of Normandy with considerable care”.

He estimated that China would likely need at least two dozen barges “to reliably bring significant quantities of armour and supplies ashore” because many would be destroyed by a Taiwanese counterattack.

“Such numbers are well within Chinese capabilities given their huge shipbuilding capacity,” Prof Goldstein noted.

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