Chinese military’s potential in the South China Sea boosted by Hainan amphibious assault ship, say analysts

Name: China’s most advanced amphibious assault ship likely to be deployed in disputed South China Sea
Uploaded: 2022-05-07T22:00:19.000Z
Duration: 1 min 50 s
Description: China’s most advanced amphibious assault ship likely to be deployed in disputed South China Sea

The country’s first and largest Type 075-class amphibious assault ship was commissioned a year ago and is deemed useful for small island assault combat operations

But the PLA Navy must meet the challenge of integrating the ship with the existing fleet, say military observers

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China’s first Type 075 amphibious assault ship, Hainan. The ship conducted combat training and live-fire drills in the South China Sea on April 22, the day after the Chinese navy announced the commissioning of a second Type 075 ship, the Guangxi.

Kristin Huang

Published: 6:00am, 8 May 2022

China’s signature Hainan amphibious assault vessel has enhanced Beijing’s deterrence and logistics capabilities in the disputed South China Sea region a year after it was commissioned, analysts said.

However, this new combat system tested the Chinese navy’s thinking and its ability to integrate different types of vessels into a unifying framework, they added.

The Hainan is China’s first and largest Type 075-class amphibious assault ship and is the second-largest vessel type in the Chinese navy after the two aircraft carriers. Commissioned into service in late April last year, it reached initial operating capability in early March, Chinese state media reported, quoting the ship’s captain.

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China’s most advanced amphibious assault ship likely to be deployed in disputed South China Sea

The Type 075 provides the People’s Liberation Army with new options for a range of missions both near China and further from its shores. In particular, the ship is useful for small island assault combat operations as well as non-war missions, including humanitarian aid, disaster relief and the evacuation of Chinese nationals.

The Hainan conducted combat training and live-fire drills aimed at enhancing coordination between personnel and weapon systems in the South China Sea on April 22, but details of the exercise only emerged on May 3 on an online Chinese military network.

The day before the drill, on April 21, the Chinese navy announced the commissioning of its second Type 075 amphibious assault ship, the Guangxi.

Zhou Chenming, a researcher at the Techxcope think tank in Beijing, said the Hainan ship contributed by boosting deterrence and more efficiently delivering supplies to the South China Sea islands.

“One Hainan ship can carry both helicopters, hovercraft and amphibious assault vehicles, so it has stronger abilities to confront foreign vessels in the region, while at the same time providing supplies more efficiently to personnel stationed in the South China Sea islands,” he said.