Chinese Type 075 amphibious warship in the waters off Xianbin Reef
Recently, the Chinese Navy deployed a Type 075 amphibious assault ship capable of carrying helicopters, air-cushion landing craft, and amphibious armored combat vehicles in the waters near Subi Reef. Subi Reef, a reclaimed feature in the South China Sea, is now home to a Chinese military base.
According to a report by the Naval War College, the Type 075 can support 900-1,200 troops and their associated amphibious assault vehicles, hovercraft and helicopters, and can be used to preserve and defend China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South and East China Seas.
Compared to the US Navy's 40,000-ton "Bee-class" amphibious assault ships, the Chinese Type 075 amphibious assault ships have a slightly smaller displacement of about 36,000 tons and are not equipped with similar vertical and short take-off and landing F-35B joint attack / fighter aircraft.
The deployment of the Type 075 amphibious assault ship comes amid a new law that allows the China Coast Guard to detain foreigners who trespass into Chinese waters for up to 60 days. Chinese state media also claimed that this was the first deployment of a Type 075 amphibious assault ship to a disputed area of the South China Sea.
The Philippine Coast Guard's flagship patrol vessel, the USS Teresa Magbanua, MRRV-9701, is anchored in the shallows of Sembin Reef and has formed a standoff with Chinese coast guard patrol vessels and fishing vessels in the South China Sea.
A 25,000-ton Type 071 dock landing ship of the Chinese Navy conducted live firing of 76-mm naval guns, 30-mm secondary guns, and 122-mm rocket artillery into the sea in the waters near Xianbin Jiao, and dispatched air-cushion landing craft and Z-8 and Z-18 carrier-based helicopters to carry out a beach-rushing landing exercise.
The Type 075 amphibious assault ship appeared in the waters near the disputed Xianbin Reef between China and the Philippines, and the arrival of this 10,000-ton giant ship with strong amphibious assault combat performance has a posture of militarily deterring the Philippines.
