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.

  • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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    4 days ago

    China’s Possible Invasion of Taiwan – Part I: 2019, 2020, 2021, or 2023

    China’s Possible Invasion of Taiwan – Part II: 2025, 2030s, 2049, or 2050

    We are literally never going to hear the end of this.

    Edit: To all the losers and haters downvoting me, I’m linking to your boys at GlobalTaiwan.org. They’ve been screaming about China’s plot to conquer Taiwan for the last decade. You should love this shit. Why do these citations make you so sad and angry?

    • NOT_RICK@lemmy.world
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      4 days ago

      I recall similar mockery when the Biden admin came out and said a Russian invasion of Ukraine was imminent. It’s far fetched alarmism, until it isn’t

        • NOT_RICK@lemmy.world
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          4 days ago

          I might believe your hypothetical if Mexico was investing heavily in beach landing craft the same way the PLN is…

          • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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            4 days ago

            The island-hopping strategy that paved America’s way to Tokyo isn’t forgotten. China needs to defend some 7,200 islands off its coastline in the event the US decides to launch a first-strike. That means being able to retake territory they lose, which means needing landing craft to get them there.

            For some reason, American China-Watchers only recognize one island as possible contested territory when you’ve got whole archipelagos that rival militaries would compete to secure. That’s before you get to Chongming Island or Hainan Island, both pivotal to Chinese domestic security.

    • dogbert@lemmy.zip
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      4 days ago

      Foreseeing military action based on anniversary dates could be too predictable, so there is an equal chance that China will avoid those years to maintain an element of surprise.

      Bro I am fucking dying reading this 🤣🤣

    • dogbert@lemmy.zip
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      4 days ago

      They been crying about this “very real plan” for decades now. It’s wild 😆