China did not rule out the use of force against Taiwanese "separatists" in a defense white paper released July 24, making the state of its amphibious assault capabilities -- which it would rely on in any effort to forcibly reunify the island with the mainland -- once again of wide interest. In the past few months, numerous images have surfaced showcasing significant progress in the construction of China's first landing helicopter dock vessel, the Type 075, the first of which is expected to be launched later this year. This is just the latest development in the continued upgrade of China's amphibious capabilities, though China has by no means conquered all of the issues that would limit its ability to carry out a successful amphibious invasion....
