Beijing. A report has frightened military experts all over the world. According to the report, a detailed investigation revealed that China is using its merchant ships and civilian boats in such a way that if needed, they can become part of the first wave of troops in a possible maritime attack on Taiwan. The role of these civilian ships in the major military exercises held this year has been identified through ship tracking data and satellite images. Experts say that these exercises are not just for show, but are part of China’s concrete plans to quickly make Taiwan bow before itself. August 2025 saw an exercise off the coast of China in which 12 civilian ships were initially at their respective home sites but gradually moved southwards as per a set plan. These were six roll-on, roll-off ferries, with vehicles being able to get on and off via a ramp directly onto the ship.
According to the report, there were six cargo ships which are commonly used to carry heavy cargo in Asia. After nightfall, these ships reached a beach in Guangdong province, where Chinese army bases are present. After this, it was clearly visible in the satellite pictures that these ships were opening their ramps and landing the military vehicles directly on the sand. After seeing these pictures, more than ten naval experts from Taiwan and America believed that China is now working on a strategy to completely include civilian ships for military use. The advantage of these ships is that they are cheap, available in large numbers and their structure is such that they can offload heavy cargo directly onto the beach without the need for a port.
Experts believe that if China attacks Taiwan, then with the help of these thousands of civilian ships, it can increase the capability of its beach landing force manifold. Many experts said that if China landed on Taiwan, the operation could be larger and more difficult than the World War II Normandy landings. The August exercise saw not just cargo ships but also a long line of small vehicles and a temporary pier system, which was earlier said to have failed due to technical reasons.
This indicates that China is continuously improving its technology and has prepared the capability to attack Taiwan from multiple directions in case of any possible action. Experts say that if China tries to land at many places simultaneously, the defense of Taiwan will become more difficult. Just 11 days after these exercises, President Xi Jinping took out a grand military parade in Beijing. Even though he did not take the name of Taiwan, his party has repeatedly said that Taiwan is a part of China and will not be allowed to separate. The Taiwan government vehemently rejects this and says that Taiwan’s future will be decided by its people. On the other hand, Taiwan’s Defense Minister said that his country is constantly monitoring such exercises of China.