China's underwater innovations: Potential threat to Taiwan?
Giant barges and devices for cutting underwater cables at record depths—these are the latest technological achievements of China. According to some experts, there are questions about their potential military applications in the context of escalating tensions around Taiwan.
While the new tools may have civilian applications, analysts point to the growing military and technological capabilities of China. Pressure on Taiwan is increasing, as Beijing considers it its own territory, stating it may take it by force if necessary. China already sends fighter jets and warships near the island almost daily and conducts increasingly frequent military exercises to intimidate what it calls Taiwan's "separatist forces," reports CNN in its analysis.
Recordings showing landing barges appeared and then quickly disappeared from Chinese social media. They depicted three enormous units anchored at a sandy beach, connected by bridges to form one giant pier, extending over 800 metres from the shore. CNN's geolocation analysis confirmed that the footage is from a public beach near Zhanjiang, a port city in the southern province of Guangdong, where the South Sea Fleet headquarters of the Chinese navy is located.
"I have never seen anything like what we’re seeing here"
Defence experts J. Michael Dahm and Thomas Shugart described these barges as a "significant upgrade" in the landing capabilities of the Chinese army. In the event of an invasion of Taiwan, they could form a movable bridge, facilitating the delivery of large quantities of tanks, armoured vehicles, and other heavy equipment—once artillery superiority is gained.
"The innovation really is the volume that they could potentially put onto a remote beach or a damaged port or an austere landing area, probably in excess of hundreds of vehicles per hour, if they chose to do that," said a retired U.S. Navy intelligence officer in an interview with CNN.
A former U.S. submarine officer points out that the barges join the growing list of innovative platforms, munitions, and weapons systems that the Chinese army has tested in recent years. "There’s nothing like them in the West. I have never seen anything like what we’re seeing here," he said.
The Taiwanese Ministry of Defence stated that it assessed the new barges as being designed with an extendable ramp to serve as a temporary dock, enabling the rapid unloading of main battle tanks and various vehicles supporting landing operations.
Putin WON'T STOP – The West Must Act NOW | Gen. Ben Hodges on Ukraine, NATO & The West
According to Su Tzu-yun, director at the Institute for National Defence Security Research in Taiwan, the barges could provide the Chinese army with a strategic advantage by creating temporary landing points on the coast—especially if Taiwan destroys its own ports as part of self-defence in the event of an invasion.
Such barges have six or eight hydro feet that can lift them out of the water to create a stable platform, and then they can create a bridge from shallow water to a deeper area," Su explained.
Did China practice cutting cables in the Baltic?
China also has another tool: a cable cutter capable of cutting heavily reinforced communication and power lines at depths of up to 4,000 metres—nearly twice the depth of the world's deepest undersea cable.
The construction description was published in the Chinese magazine "Mechanical Engineer."
According to experts, a device capable of cutting cables at record depths and with high efficiency is not alarming in itself.
"But what is alarming here is the political context that we attach to it," noted one of the scientists quoted by CNN. He also pointed out recent incidents of undersea cables being damaged involving Chinese ships around Taiwan and in the Baltic Sea.
The army ready on Jinping's orders. It may happen in 2027
The concern is that in the event of an invasion, China could cut the undersea cables around Taiwan, causing panic among the population and potentially disrupting the island's military communication with the U.S. and other partners.
American officials believe that Chinese leader Xi Jinping has ordered the Chinese army to be ready to invade Taiwan by 2027, although they emphasise this does not mean an invasion will occur in 2027.
"In the context of all of the other improvements that we’re seeing to PLA capabilities and especially to PLA infrastructure, the barges are just the shiny object that draws attention to the fact that the PLA is making these preparations to be prepared to act on Xi Jinping’s orders in the next several years, if called upon to do so," summarises an expert quoted by CNN.
