China has been building towards an invasion of Taiwan for a long time...it's coming which is why taking restrictions off arms deliveries is so important.
China has been building up their Naval Capabilities for basically the last 20 years...basically the last piece of the puzzle is Amphibious Assault ships which China has been bringing online the last couple years...
We need to get serious about lifting arms sales restrictions on Taiwan NOW........China is probably close to being ready to go.
The more immediate problem is Taiwan. The Taiwanese may not have enough modern ships and anti-ship weaponry to stop an amphibious landing, especially if it is supported by a PLAN carrier battle group and the landing zone is prepped by bombers and fighters firing stand-off cruise missiles and other precision-guided weaponry.
China clearly has the upper hand in amphibious warfare with these ships. The marines will be ready to fight. Transport helicopters can resupply troops on shore after they create a beachhead, and the attack helicopters can offer close air support. The Chinese shipbuilders can build amphibious ships faster than the Taiwanese can produce their smaller corvettes. It is looking like an amphibious landing by China against Taiwan would be an unfair fight.
Yushen-class amphibious assault ships are big – the largest vessels besides China’s aircraft carriers. And they are built for a Taiwan war.
www.19fortyfive.com