China Building Ship That Could Be Used Against Taiwan; Satellites Spot Dual-Use Vessel about 200 Meters Long

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:26 JST, May 2, 2025

China appears to be constructing a dual-use ship that could play an important role in a possible future Taiwan contingency, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned through an analysis of satellite images.

The analysis revealed that a deck has been built on a cargo ship in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province. This vessel could be used for ocean research and other purposes in peacetime, but it appears the Chinese military could also use it as a landing ship to carry personnel and weapons or to conduct surveillance activities.

The Chinese military intends to phase in civilian vessels that can easily and cheaply be modified to supplement its transport capacity, which is currently lacking.

The dual-use vessel is being constructed in Guangzhou’s Nansha District, where a company affiliated with a Chinese state-owned shipbuilding giant has a shipyard. Satellite images taken on Oct. 23 last year by Planet Labs PBC, a U.S. space firm that operates multiple observation satellites, confirmed the ship was moored at that location.

Images taken by a satellite operated by Maxar Technologies Inc., a U.S. space development company, on March 21 this year also captured the vessel.

An analysis of these images by The Yomiuri Shimbun and the Japan Institute for National Fundamentals revealed that a photo of an identical ship was posted on a Chinese military-related website around November. This website frequently posts photos of Chinese military ships and other equipment, and is closely monitored by Self-Defense Forces officials. The ship does not have a hull number of the type given to military vessels, and the name written on the ship indicates it is a private research vessel.

The institute, which is a public interest incorporated foundation, believes it is highly possible the vessel would be privately operated in peacetime.

The ship is about 40 meters wide and about 200 meters long. The vessel’s shape is similar to an aircraft carrier, but it is shorter than China’s three carriers, which are more than 300 meters long.

Given that the vessel is not long enough to launch fighter jets, its role appears to be as a mother ship for helicopters, as well as for small drones capable of taking off from a short runway. It seems that the vessel will conduct ocean surveys and exploration in times of peace but be operated as a landing ship and used by drones engaged in attacks and collecting information in the event of a contingency. China’s military has a shortage of such ships.

Nothing had been written on the deck as of October. However, the images taken in March showed that white lines had been painted there, including markings for two helipads. The ship also was moored about 600 meters from its previous location. There is a high possibility the ship is already conducting shakedown cruises.

“China, under the guise of military-civilian integration, is bolstering its system that enables merchant ships to supplement the military’s maritime transport capacity,” said Tomohisa Takei, a Planning Committee member at the institute and a former chief of staff at the Maritime Self-Defense Force.

Takei also suggested the vessel was possibly being constructed as an experiment. “Calculations based on the pace at which merchant vessels are constructed at that shipyard suggest China could build about 10 of these ships per year,” Takei said.

Stealth craft capable of unmanned operation also were detected near the dual-use ship. It appears that military vessels also are being built at the same shipyard. The use of unmanned boats does not put human crews at risk, so it is possible that China would deploy them on the front line if it should move against Taiwan.