Is China quietly preparing cargo ships to transform into military vessels in case of war?

Images of a cargo ship in Shanghai carrying containerised vertical launchers, sensors and self-defence systems have spread online and prompted discussion for apparently showing China’s capacity to convert civilian cargo vessels to military purposes.

The circulated images show vertical launch systems, rotary phased-array radars, over-the-horizon radars, close-in weapon systems and decoy launchers mounted atop containers on a cargo vessel.

This configuration appears to be a temporary installation, seemingly aimed at converting the merchant vessel into a heavily armed surface combatant.

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China’s first 076 ‘drone carrier’ amphibious assault ship begins sea trials

While the date the photographs were taken has not been confirmed, the location has been identified as Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding’s yard in Shanghai, the construction site of the Sichuan Type 076 amphibious assault ship, which is likely to have completed its second sea trials this month.

One of the images shows the cargo ship berthed near the Sichuan.

Other photos show several containers on the freighter bearing the words “Plan for the maritime revival of the Chinese nation and the community of shared future for mankind in the ocean”.

No official Beijing document has referenced the “maritime revival of the Chinese nation” slogan, although China is pursuing its goal of becoming a “maritime power”. Another part of the phrase is a maritime extension of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s broader “community of shared future for mankind” concept.

South China Morning Post