China regroups aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships to reinforce influence in South China Sea.

As reported by MT Anderson on September 15, 2025, recent satellite imagery revealed multiple Chinese Navy assets concentrated in the South Sea Fleet area. The aircraft carrier Shandong is pictured at Yulin Naval Base near Sanya with a Type 075 landing helicopter dock (LHD) close by. The newer carrier Fujian was observed sailing off Hainan. Zhanjiang Naval Base is reported to host a group of amphibious vessels, including three Type 071 landing platform docks (LPDs) and another Type 075 LHD.
Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link

Strategically, a triad of Chinese aircraft carriers (Liaoning, Shandong, and the trialing Fujian) gives China more options to keep at least one carrier at sea, and a growing number of Type 075 and Type 071 ships can quickly bring together troops and helicopters from bases at Zhanjiang and Hainan. (Picture source: X/MT Anderson)

Earlier sightings tracked Shandong back through summer: Shandong was alongside at Sanya on June 27, 2025, after about four weeks in the South China Sea and Philippine Sea; then it visited Hong Kong from July 3 to July 7; next it was confirmed in port at Sanya on July 10; later, it was noted "not in harbour" on July 20 (out at sea); finally, around August 26 it was located about 33 nautical miles southeast of Sanya returning toward base. Fujian’s more recent movements include its first publicly confirmed transit of the Taiwan Strait as of September 12, 2025. Japan’s Joint Staff reported observing Fujian accompanied by destroyers Hangzhou and Jinan, sailing southwest in waters roughly 200 kilometers northwest of the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands.

Evidence from summer 2025 also points to a steady increase in PLAN carrier presence west of the first island chain and into the Philippine Sea. Japanese and U.S. tracking in June documented dual carrier operations involving Liaoning and Shandong in the Western Pacific, with USNI News and official readouts detailing sustained periods when both strike groups operated east of the Philippines and near Iwo Jima. In April, Reuters reported that a Shandong-led formation passed close to the Philippines in the run-up to the U.S.-Philippine Balikatan drills, underscoring how carrier movements intersect with allied exercises and regional messaging. Set against that background, today’s imagery of Shandong at Yulin with a nearby Type 075 and amphibious clusters at Zhanjiang, together with Fujian’s arrival in the South China Sea after its strait transit, is consistent with a broader shift to normalize frequent big-deck operations under South Sea Fleet leadership.

Strategically, a triad of big-deck carriers across Liaoning, Shandong, and the trialing Fujian gives China more options to keep at least one carrier at sea while preserving maintenance and training buffers, and an expanded Type 075 and Type 071 inventory under the South Sea Fleet provides aviation-centric amphibious capacity that can assemble quickly from Zhanjiang and Hainan. The South Sea Fleet’s headquarters at Zhanjiang, with major bases at Sanya, including Yulin and Longpo, positions it as the primary operator for combined carrier-amphibious task groups in the South China Sea and for periodic pushes into the Philippine Sea. If Fujian’s sea-trial tempo continues and commissioning follows, dual-carrier operations are likely to recur whenever air wings, escorts, and logistics align, complicating regional planning and increasing the requirement for persistent maritime domain awareness. The present snapshot of assets at Yulin and Zhanjiang, therefore, reads less like a one-day anomaly and more like a baseline posture for cycles of testing, presence, and integrated air-sea training anchored on Hainan.

Infrastructure around Sanya helps explain why the South Sea Fleet can sustain dense big-deck activity from Hainan with relatively short logistics tails. The Yulin complex, including the Longpo facilities, sometimes labeled Yulin-East, provides deep-water piers, hardened infrastructure, and underground submarine berths that have been progressively expanded, with commercial imagery and reporting highlighting new quay construction and pier extensions for large surface ships. Analysts and media have repeatedly identified Yulin as the PLAN’s principal South China Sea hub for carriers and nuclear submarines, and recent commercial imagery shows continued upgrades to accommodate the growing carrier force. These basing advantages let Shandong cycle quickly between sea periods, Hong Kong public diplomacy events, and pier-side resets, while also giving Fujian an accessible test and training area immediately south of the strait as sea trials lengthen in range.

The amphibious concentration at Zhanjiang complements carrier activity around Hainan and suggests a deliberate aviation-heavy posture for the South Sea Fleet. The Type 071, for instance, is a class of large amphibious transport dock ships operated by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). They displace about 25,000 tons at full load; their dimensions are approximately 210 meters in length, 28 meters in beam, and around 7 meters in draft. Propulsion is via four SEMT Pielstick 16 PC2.6 V400 diesel engines driving two shafts, enabling maximum speeds near 25 knots and a range of about 6,000 nautical miles at cruise, with greater range at more economical speeds. These ships can carry between 600-800 marines, 15-20 amphibious armored vehicles such as ZBD-05 infantry fighting vehicles and ZTD-05 amphibious light tanks, plus four Type 726 air-cushioned landing craft (LCAC) in the well deck, plus additional landing craft on port and starboard davits. Aviation facilities include a hangar able to house up to four medium helicopters (commonly Z-8 family) plus two landing spots on the stern deck. Defensive armament consists of a single 76 mm dual-purpose gun, multiple 30 mm close-in weapon systems (CIWS), and decoy/chaff launchers. Additional sensors include air/surface search radars (Type 360, Type 364), fire control, and navigation radars. The Type 071 class also undertakes non-combat roles such as humanitarian relief, disaster response, and counter-piracy operations.

The Type 075 is an amphibious assault ship (landing helicopter dock) class with flight deck capability, designed to expand the PLA Navy’s airborne amphibious lift and command functions. Full-load displacement is generally estimated between 35,000-40,000 tons; length is about 232 meters, beam around 36.8 meters; the flight deck runs nearly the full length of the hull with a number of landing spots (six along the port side plus one aft of the island) to support helicopter operations. A hangar under the flight deck and a floodable well deck allow the ship to simultaneously handle helicopter lift, amphibious landing craft (typically two to three Type 726 LCACs), and armored vehicle/troop loadouts. The ship’s troop capacity is reported at around 800 embarked personnel, with capacity for dozens of armored fighting vehicles and mechanized amphibious units. Defensive systems are self-protective and include HQ-10 short-range surface-to-air missiles and several close-in weapons systems (H/PJ-14 30 mm CIWSs) plus point defence sensors; command, control, and medical facilities onboard are expanded relative to prior amphibious classes. The class entered service with Hainan (commissioned April 2021), followed by Guangxi, Anhui, and, most recently, the Hubei, which is already assigned to the South Sea Fleet.

When Type 071 and Type 075 ships are deployed in concert with a carrier strike group (CSG), they provide complementary capabilities that enhance operational flexibility, sustainment, and amphibious support while the carrier handles fixed-wing air operations. The Type 075s supply aviation lift via multiple helicopters for vertical insertion, resupply, casualty evacuation, airborne surveillance, and command functions, while the well decks allow amphibious landing craft to deploy surface forces when conditions allow. Type 071s contribute heavier sea-borne lift, carrying armor, vehicles, and amphibious mechanized troops with well decks and vehicle decks, enabling sustained landings or logistics support even in zones where helicopter lift is less feasible. In operations involving carriers such as Shandong or the trialing Fujian, the presence of both 071 and 075 amphibious units allows for combined maneuvers: the amphibious ships can stage ground forces, assist with secure landings or establish forward support points, and relieve the carrier group of logistic or troop transport duties while focusing the carrier’s escort, air wing, and strike assets on air superiority, long-range strike, and air defense. These arrangements reduce load on one platform type, provide redundancy, and enable amphibious and aerial options in parallel under PLAN’s doctrine.

Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.