Taipei: The Ministry of National Defense (MND) on Tuesday confirmed the presence of a Chinese Type 072A landing ship-a large tank carrier used for amphibious warfare-in waters off northern Taiwan. Local media reported that a plane passenger spotted the Chinese amphibious warship shortly before landing at Taipei Songshan Airport on Friday.
According to Focus Taiwan, the passenger took a photo of the vessel and later identified it as a Chinese Type 072A landing ship after using their coordinates to look it up. The ship was within 60 nautical miles (111 kilometers) of Keelung’s coast. The passenger noted that no other ships were shadowing the Chinese vessel.
Type 072A landing ships have a displacement of 3,770 metric tons and are capable of carrying two medium helicopters and four landing craft. According to former Air Force Institute of Technology officer Lin Yu-feng, the Type 072A can carry up to 10 tanks and 250 fully armed troops, posing a significant threat to Taiwan. Lin mentioned that these amphibious warfare ships are usually observed in waters off Taiwan’s east coast, making Friday’s sighting potentially unprecedented.
Lin further stated that if troops from the ship were to land in northern Taiwan, it would endanger numerous critical military sites, including the MND and the Joint Operations Command Center in Taipei’s Dazhi District. Navy Chief of Staff Chiu Chun-jung commented that the Navy closely monitored the Chinese vessel operating in waters north of Taiwan, utilizing the military’s joint intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance systems. However, it did not issue a statement identifying the Type 072A landing ship, instead categorizing it as one of six Chinese warships detected near Taiwan on a map released the following day.
The MND generally avoids identifying specific types of Chinese warships and aircraft operating nearby to prevent causing public alarm. Su Tzu-yun, a research fellow at the MND’s Institute for National Defense and Security Research, explained that the Navy often dispatches vessels to shadow Chinese ships sailing near the edge of Taiwan’s contiguous zone-which extends 24 nautical miles from its shores-or when a larger Chinese fleet is present, rather than deploying warships each time a threat approaches. This strategy helps prevent “wearing down” Taiwan’s defenses, Su noted.