China strengthens its military infrastructure on the east coast amid tensions with Taiwan

China is stepping up construction of naval and air bases along its eastern coast, raising concerns among Western experts and governments about possible preparation for a conflict with Taiwan.

According to an analysis of satellite imagery published by The Wall Street Journal, these new facilities, which include berthing sites for amphibious warships and mega-airports, could play a key role in an invasion scenario for the island, which Beijing claims as part of its territory despite staunch opposition from Taipei's democratically elected government.

Expansion of naval and air bases

Satellite images show significant advances in Chinese military infrastructure. In Yueqing Bay, near the coastal city of Wenzhou, a naval pier has been expanded and is now more than a mile long. This pier, according to the analysis, can accommodate multiple large vessels, including tank transports, landing craft, tankers, and coast guard ships, all essential for amphibious operations. “All of it goes to supporting China’s one military planning scenario, which is a Taiwan scenario," Michael Dahm, a retired U.S. Navy intelligence officer, told the Wall Street Journal.

In addition, a new helicopter base has been built in Fujian province, off the Taiwan Strait, which could facilitate the deployment of troops to the main island of Taiwan or its outlying islands, such as Kinmen, located less than 5 kilometers off the Chinese coast. This base, along with others in Pudong and Zhanjiang, strengthens the logistics and operational capacity of the People's Liberation Army (PLA).

On the other hand, the mega-airports in Xiamen and Fuzhou have undergone substantial expansions. Xiamen Xiang’an International Airport, located on Dadeng Island, nearly doubled in size between 2014 and 2022 through extensive land reclamation. Similarly, Fuzhou Changle International Airport constructed a new runway over water. Although both facilities are civilian airports, experts emphasize that they could be rapidly converted for military purposes, functioning as hubs for refueling, ammunition storage, or troop deployment in the event of conflict.

Strategy and regional tensions

The construction of these facilities comes against a backdrop of growing tension in the Indo-Pacific, where China has stepped up its actions in the South China Sea and toward Taiwan. Beijing has not ruled out the use of force to reunify the island with the mainland. At the same time, Taiwan has strengthened its defenses, focusing its military exercises on beaches such as Guanyin, Jiben, Beipu, and Penghu, identified as possible landing points for an invasion.

The West is concerned

Against this backdrop, both the UK Secretary of Defense, John Healey, and his US counterpart, Pete Hegseth, have expressed concern over the growing threat from China.

Along those lines, Hegseth warned in May that an attack on Taiwan could be imminent, although no specifics on timelines or concrete plans were provided. While Healey expressed concern about a possible "defense" of Taiwan, hand-in-hand with Australia.