Breaking News: China’s Type 072A Amphibious Assault Ship Near Taiwan Raises Concerns Over Amphibious Warfare Threat.

On July 1, 2025, the confirmed presence of China’s Type 072A amphibious landing ship near Taiwan’s northern coast has sparked renewed debate over Beijing’s amphibious warfare capabilities and their implications for Taiwan’s defense readiness. According to Focus Taiwan, the ship was spotted within 60 nautical miles northeast of Keelung, marking an unusually close approach that Taiwan’s military sees as part of intensifying gray-zone activities by China. Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) stated that the vessel did not enter Taiwan’s contiguous zone but confirmed that the armed forces had closely monitored its movements with sea, air, and land assets.
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The close approach of the Type 072A landing ship demonstrates how Beijing continues to refine and display its amphibious warfare capabilities as part of its broader cross-strait strategy (Picture source: Chinese Navy)

The sighting highlights a rare appearance of such a vessel so close to critical sites in northern Taiwan, underscoring rising tensions in the Taiwan Strait. Taiwan’s Navy Chief of Staff, Chiang Cheng-kuo, acknowledged that the ship’s location, northeast of Keelung, puts it within potential reach of vital infrastructure. Experts have noted that the maneuver appears designed to test Taiwan’s surveillance and response measures while sending a broader message about Beijing’s capacity to execute amphibious operations close to Taiwan’s main population centers.

The Chinese Type 072A landing ship, categorized under large tank carriers for amphibious warfare, has a displacement of 3,770 metric tons and can transport up to 10 tanks, 250 fully armed troops, two medium helicopters, and four landing craft. Compared to similar amphibious platforms like the older Type 072II or smaller Yuting-class ships, the Type 072A offers significantly enhanced lift capacity and operational versatility. Its capability to carry helicopters extends its reach beyond the immediate landing zone, providing added flexibility for rapid insertion of troops or equipment deep inland.

Former Air Force Institute of Technology officer Lin Yu-feng told Focus Taiwan that any landing force deployed from this ship could directly threaten critical military and government facilities in Taipei’s Dazhi District, including the Ministry of National Defense and the Joint Operations Command Center. This scenario underscores Taiwan’s vulnerability to multi-domain amphibious operations that can bypass traditional coastal defenses and strike strategic targets inland.

Strategically, the Type 072A’s presence so close to northern Taiwan sends a strong signal amid heightened cross-strait tensions. Su Tzu-yun, a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, noted that while Taiwan must maintain vigilance and readiness to respond, its armed forces must also avoid excessive naval shadowing that could drain fleet resources over time. The MND indicated that it would continue to respond proportionately and adaptively to such movements, using joint intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance systems to maintain situational awareness.

The maneuver raises larger questions about China’s long-term amphibious warfare posture and its potential to coerce Taiwan through psychological pressure and gray-zone tactics. With regional actors increasingly alert to these maritime maneuvers, the sighting reinforces the critical need for Taipei to adapt its coastal defenses, enhance early warning systems, and deepen regional security cooperation to deter potential amphibious incursions.

The close approach of the Type 072A landing ship demonstrates how Beijing continues to refine and display its amphibious warfare capabilities as part of its broader cross-strait strategy. Taiwan’s military must now weigh how to counter such threats while avoiding the exhaustion of its own naval and surveillance assets. As the balance of power in the Taiwan Strait shifts, each new maneuver serves as a stark reminder that the threat of amphibious assault remains at the core of Taiwan’s security concerns, a reality that will continue to shape its defense planning in the years ahead.