On 23rd April, China’s People’s Liberation Army held an inauguration ceremony for three main battleships on the Chinese Navy Day. Attracting the most attention was Hainan, a Type 075 amphibious assault ship with a displacement of about 40,000 tonnes. It boasts a full-length flight deck, which can be used by a helicopter as a sea platform for landing and taking off. The ship is also equipped with a good dock that can carry boarding troops to carry out amphibious assault missions.

It is worth noting that after Xi Jinping participated in the inauguration ceremony, he also inspected the ship’s honor guard as well as the naval forces. The biggest implication of that was the establishment of Xi Jinping’s status in history.

The failure to build a strong navy was the biggest regret of China’s previous leaders including Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao. While that was due to the strategic considerations and technical limitations of their times, it is an indisputable fact that Xi Jinping has surpassed his predecessors in terms of naval construction. This is also the main reason why Xi Jinping has been seen in every navy-building event and fleet review.

Judging from the images that have been published, the Type 075 amphibious assault ship is to support the Army Navy-Marine Corps, which is increasingly valued by the People’s Liberation Army. Its main tasks will be the capture of islands and overseas expedition and battle missions. In fact, as far as the invasion of Taiwan is concerned, a large-scale island joint operation would be mainly composed of the amphibious mechanized infantry units of the Eastern War Zone Army rather than the Marine Corps. Furthermore, isn’t it that a Type 075 amphibious assault ship is wasted for the Taiwan Strait? Isn’t it that a previous Type 071 amphibious assault ship working together with the Rocket Forces of the land, naval and air forces of the Eastern War Zone will suffice for a mission against Taiwan? All these questions give us food for thought.

In fact, for the People’s Liberation Army, the gradual competition of an aircraft carrier fleet and its combination with Type 055 destroyers, i.e., the use of carrier-based aircraft to provide cover for Type 055 destroyers (which will be the mainstay of the carrier battle group) will not be targeted at the Taiwan Strait merely. China’s true strategic goal is a navy that can reach the two Oceans (the Pacific and the Indian Ocean) and compete with the US Navy.

The escort mission in the Gulf of Aden after 2008 allowed the PLA Navy to begin sailing into the Indian Ocean. However, its military capabilities and firepower for wartime missions were still limited by the technology of its equipment and its geostrategy. After the Type 075 amphibious assault ship enters service, it will be equipped with the capability of the overseas deployment of military strength. Apart from engaging in traditional amphibious operations, it will also integrate with the tactical reforms of the Marine Corps and the combat mode of air assaults into some truly triphibious combat capabilities - not only for traditional landing and beachhead-expanding operations, but also for rapid assaults deep in the enemy’s rear for the capture of key strategic strongholds.

Apart from being a mobile platform for triphibious assaults, a Type 075 assault ship might also have the function of advance command operations. After all, the complexity of landing operations and the coordination and joint operations capabilities with other branches of the armed forces cannot be tackled overnight. Developments in these regards are worthy of our attention when observing PLA naval exercises in the future.

In the future, the People’s Liberation Army will not only rely on joint operations to gain firepower dominance at sea, but will also treat the deployment of overseas military capabilities as its developmental goal. Therefore, the development of the Marine Corps and amphibious assault ships will not be aimed at the Taiwan Strait merely. Its strategic goal will be about the faraway oceans.

(Lin Ying-Yu is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the Institute of Strategic and International Affairs at National Chung Cheng University.)

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