China Conducts Landing Drills with Foldable Piers, Likely Readying for Taiwan Invasion (Update 1) |
The Yomiuri Shimbun
7:00 JST, January 2, 2026
The Chinese military seems to have conducted landing drills on its eastern and southern coasts using multiple fleets equipped with large foldable piers, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned. As commercial ships, including large roll-on/roll-off vessels, or “Ro-Ro” ships, have also been deployed for the drills, Japan and the United States are highly concerned that China is strengthening its military capabilities to invade Taiwan with the help of private vessels.
The Yomiuri analyzed satellite images and public information on ships and also obtained information from sources close to the Japanese government.
Each fleet consists of three ships equipped with foldable piers. The vessels are lined up to form one 800-meter-long pier that is connected to a beach. According to a report from the U.S. Naval War College, the fleets........