Shadow navy: How China’s civilian fleet could be a potent weapon in a Taiwan invasion

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1. *Submission Statement:* China’s strategy of deploying large numbers of civilian vessels in preparation for an invasion of Taiwan is detailed in this interactive article. Using ship tracking data and satellite imagery Reuters found that civilian ships played a significant role in Chinese maritime exercises this summer, indicating that China is actively refining its strategy. These drills have demonstrated new techniques aimed at accelerating beach landings of troops and equipment allowing them to enhance the speed and efficiency of a potential assault. Naval warfare experts believe these exercises reflect serious preparations for overwhelming Taiwan’s defenses.

2. China is already using its civilian fleets to illegally fish and pursue its territorial goals. I definitely see them pushing their civilian fleets into a confrontation with Taiwan as a prelude for their justification for military action

3. This has been going on for a while – I wrote my graduate thesis on the Maritime Militia in the South China Sea back in 2019.

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