In recent weeks, China has practiced unusual maneuvers off its southern coast involving three special barges. The ships linked one behind the others, forming a long bridge that extends from deeper waters on the beach.
This feat was a warning to Taiwan.
The beginnings of the ships suggest that the popular liberation army of China could be one more step towards the possibility of allowing to win tens of thousands of soldiers and their weapons and vehicles on the coasts of Taiwan, according to experts. Developing this capacity was a priority of the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, in his quest to absorb Taiwan – either by negotiations or by war.
China has been carrying out military exercises around Taiwan for years, including a new wave this week. But even if China’s exercises intensified and its missiles, warships and fighter planes have argued, many experts have doubted that the Chinese army could cross the Taiwan Strait with the speed and figures necessary for a successful invasion. Strong winds and currents for much of the year add to the dangers to try to land in Taiwan.
If the new barges come into service, they could extend the options of China for where and when to land in Taiwan, which makes Mr. Xi’s threat of a possible more plausible invasion.
The ships train in the waters about 220 miles southwest of Guangzhou, the city where they were built. Barges have retractable and robust legs that work like giant stilts. The legs protrude from the bridge in transit and are lowered, when the ships are in position, on the seabed to stabilize the ships against the waves. The barges then projected long expandable bridges, forming a 2,700 feet road which connects the ships together and connects to the shore.
