What will first Type 055 destroyers for PLA East China Fleet mean for Taiwan?

Beijing is expected to intensify naval operations beyond Taiwan and the first island chain, military observers say, citing the possible commissioning of Type 055 “super destroyers” into the East Sea Fleet.

Photographs circulating on social media in late January showed two Type 055 guided-missile destroyers moored at a naval base in Zhoushan, located on the East China Sea coast. They had also been assigned hull numbers, 109 and 110, signalling imminent commissioning into the PLA Navy.

This indicates that the second batch of the 12,000-tonne-plus vessels has begun to enter service.

The pair in the recent photos, reportedly named the Dongguan and the Anqing, would be the first Type 055s assigned to the East Sea Fleet – the Eastern Theatre Command naval force that oversees operations in Taiwan-facing waters and the East China Sea towards Japan.

The apparent deployment comes at a critical juncture, as Beijing’s relations with Japan remain strained over Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks on Taiwan last year. Takaichi said in November that Tokyo might mobilise its military in the event of a Taiwan “contingency” – widely interpreted as an attack by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China to be reunited by force if necessary. Most countries, including the United States and its treaty ally Japan, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state, but Washington is opposed to any attempt to take the self-governed island by force and is committed to supplying it with weapons.

South China Morning Post