China is building six Type 071 ships at two shipyards — South China Morning Post
China is simultaneously building or fitting out six new Type 071 amphibious transport dock ships at two shipyards — in Shanghai and Guangzhou. Four vessels are at the Hudong-Zhonghua site on Changxing Island in Shanghai, while another two are at the Longxue shipyard of CSSC Offshore & Marine Engineering Group in Guangzhou, the South China Morning Post reports.
Production at two shipyards
According to Janes Fighting Ships, two ships in Shanghai were launched in August and October, but have not yet entered fleet service. Another two vessels at the Shanghai shipyard remain under construction. Naval News also reported parallel Type 071 production at two shipyards, although it did not count another ship launched in Shanghai last month.
Type 071 ships are designed to transport troops, armored vehicles, helicopters and hovercraft. According to an assessment by the International Institute for Strategic Studies in Military Balance 2026, the Chinese navy has eight such ships and four larger Type 075 helicopter landing ships. If all six new vessels join the Chinese navy, the number of Type 071 ships will increase by 75%, to 14 units. At the same time, the source noted that the timelines for commissioning the new ships and their intended assignment to the Chinese navy are currently unclear.
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Assessments regarding Taiwan
Retired U.S. Navy captain and former director of intelligence for the U.S. Pacific Fleet Jim Fanell considers the simultaneous construction of ships at two shipyards to be evidence of Beijing's intention to expand its amphibious capabilities. In his assessment, six additional Type 071 ships could transport between 3,600 and 4,800 marines and 24 hovercraft.
Lyle Goldstein, a Brown University specialist in Chinese naval warfare, suggested that the resumption of construction after several years of pause could be linked to confidence in a proven design, changing shipbuilding priorities, or the need to create a viable option for an amphibious operation against Taiwan. He also noted that additional ships could strengthen China's ability to operate in the East China Sea and the South China Sea.
A Pentagon report on China's military capabilities, released in December 2025, stated that the Chinese navy almost certainly does not have sufficient conventional air and sea transport capabilities for a large-scale attack on Taiwan. At the same time, the Chinese fleet continues exercises with commercial roll-on/roll-off ferries, which, according to the Pentagon's assessment, indicates efforts to integrate dual-use civilian vessels into amphibious operations.
