China ferry fleet built amid Taiwan invasion preparations, classified report warns
www.abc.net.au
A classified US intelligence report, seen by the ABC, says vessels have been modified to carry tanks and partake in amphibious operations in what Taiwan considers part of China's "expansionist intentions".

A classified US military intelligence report seen by the ABC says China is rapidly building up the country’s commercial ferry fleet to prepare for an invasion of Taiwan.

The report dates from earlier this year and was prepared by members of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) for the Pentagon.

The US intelligence says the large ocean-going vessels have been modified to carry tanks and partake in amphibious operations.

China is building more than 70 of the large vessels by the end of 2026.

  • Hemingways_Shotgun@lemmy.caEnglish
    144·
    1 day ago

    I have no doubt that China has been planning an invasion for a long long time. It’s what countries do; they make contingency plans after contingency plans after contingency plans. You’re not actually doing your job as a country if you don’t plan for every thing just in case.

    It’s the same reason the U.S. has a theoretical plan to invade Canada, because of course it does.

    But that being said, am I inclined to believe anything that comes out of the American intelligence apparatus at the present. Mainly because I’m not an idiot and everything that that particular country says or does at the moment is to serve the whims of an orange toddler.

    • Dr. Moose@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      72·
      1 day ago

      This is a bit more than a contingency plan no? No other country does this that isnt in active war like russia-ukraine or the Koreas. Does India have 100 ships parked at Sri Lanka? Japan at Russia or same Taiwan?

      • Socialism_Everyday@reddthat.comEnglish
        43·
        1 day ago

        The US has military bases and ships parked in Taiwan, South Korea, Phillipines and Japan, and regularly patrols ships in the Taiwan strait. Surely this is only for defensive purposes? I wonder, why would China have amphibian ships given these circumstances? Would you find it weird for, say, the US to have amphibian training exercises if Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Guatemala had Russian troops stationed and there were Russian military ships in the strait between Cuba and Florida?