From a chain of massive barges stretching from a Chinese beach into the sea, to a powerful new design for cutting undersea cables at record depths, China’s latest maritime innovations have captured the attention of defense experts – fueling concerns about their potential role in a future invasion of Taiwan.

While these new tools may ostensibly have civilian uses, experts say they highlight China’s expanding military and technological prowess – at a time when the ruling Communist Party is ramping up pressure on Taiwan, the self-governing democracy it claims as its own and has vowed to seize by force if necessary.

China already sends fighter jets and warships near the island almost daily and stages increasingly frequent military drills to intimidate what it calls “Taiwan separatist forces.”

Meanwhile Taiwan is looking on nervously as US President Donald Trump transforms Washington’s global relationships with his mercantilist “America First” foreign policy, discarding decades-old guarantees towards Europe and pushing long-standing Asian allies and partners to pay more for US protection.

Footage of the landing barges first surfaced – then quickly vanished – on Chinese social media this month, showing three enormous vessels stationed off a sandy beach strewn with seaweed, fishing boats and a handful of scattered tourists.

The three barges stood above the water on sturdy legs and were linked by bridges to form one giant causeway that stretched from the beach to more than 800 meters from the shore.

Defense analysts J. Michael Dahm and Thomas Shugart said the barges constitute a “significant upgrade” to the amphibious assault capacity of China’s People Liberation Army (PLA). In the event of an invasion of Taiwan, they could form a relocatable pier, delivering large amounts of tanks, armored vehicles and other heavy equipment – once fire superiority has been established.

“The innovation really is the volume that they could potentially put onto a remote beach or a damaged port or an austere landing area, probably in excess of hundreds of vehicles per hour, if they chose to do that,” said Dahm, a retired US Navy intelligence officer and senior resident fellow at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies.

Shugart, a former US submariner and adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, noted the barges add to a growing list of innovative platforms, munitions and weapon systems the Chinese military has tested in recent years.

“There’s nothing like them in the West. I have never seen anything like what we’re seeing here,” he said.

Taiwan’s defense ministry said it had assessed that the new barges were “designed with an extendable ramp to serve as a makeshift dock, enabling the rapid offloading of main battle tanks and various vehicles in support of amphibious operations.” It said it would continue to monitor the barges and assess their capabilities and operational limitations.

Meanwhile, Chinese researchers from state-affiliated institutions claimed to have developed a powerful deep-sea device: a cable cutter capable of severing heavily fortified communication and power lines at depths of up to 4,000 meters – nearly twice the depth of the world’s deepest undersea cable.

The new design, published last month in the peer-reviewed Chinese journal Mechanical Engineer and first reported by the South China Morning Post, emerges amid growing concerns over the vulnerability of Taiwan’s critical infrastructure. Recently, suspicious damage to the island’s undersea cables has fueled fears of Chinese efforts to undermine the island’s communications with the outside world.

Collin Koh, a research fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) in Singapore, said cable-cutting tools are commonly used for maintenance, and a breakthrough in the ability to sever cables at record depths with great efficiency isn’t alarming in itself.

“But what is alarming here is the political context that we attach to it,” he noted, pointing to recent incidents of undersea cable damage involving Chinese vessels around Taiwan and in the Baltic Sea.

The concern is that in the event of an invasion, China could sever the undersea cables around Taiwan, sowing panic among its public and potentially disrupting the island’s military communication with the US and other partners.

But Koh pointed out that the new cable-cutting design may have existed so far only in the experimental stage. “Whether it has translated into operationalized tool for use is a big question mark,” he said.

‘Invasion’ barges

The video of the landing barges offered the first close-up look at what the Naval News reported in January as “special and unusual barges” spotted at Guangzhou Shipyard. The outlet described them as reminiscent of Britain’s Mulberry Harbors, which were built for the Allied invasion of Normandy during World War II.

While some analysts suggest the barges could serve civilian purposes such as humanitarian relief, many experts – both in and outside Taiwan – believe they were built primarily for a military purpose.

Su Tzu-yun, a director at the Institute for National Defense Security Research in Taiwan, said the barges could offer the PLA a strategic advantage by creating makeshift costal landing points – particularly if Taiwan destroys its own ports in self-defense in the event of an invasion.

“Such barges have six or eight hydro feet that can lift them out of the water to create a stable platform, and then they can create a bridge from shallow water to a deeper area,” Su said.

Shugart, the former submariner, said the barges could even potentially drop a ramp across seawalls or other obstacles onto a coastal road, allowing the PLA to send troops and equipment to shore.

He added that the barges also enhance operational speed. “We’ve seen them set up and broken down and set up again multiple times within a matter of days,” Shugart said, citing satellite images.

However, due to their size and slow speed, these vessels are highly vulnerable to enemy fire and would likely only be deployed as part of a second wave, following the initial landing forces across the Strait, which is around 80 miles wide at its narrowest point, experts say.

“Before they even think about embarking a landing force and sending troops across the (Taiwan) Strait, they would already make sure that they have seized air, information and naval dominance all the way across the strait,” Shugart said.

The barges “wouldn’t be brought forward until the environment had been made safe for them, just like in World War II D-Day, the US had complete air control and sea control before the landing forces went ashore,” he added.

Collin, the expert at RSIS in Singapore, said the barges are not designed for high intensity warfare at sea.

“They are slow, they are not so well protected on their own, and they require escorts, which must go at the same speed as those barges. And for some of the war fighting assets, speed is the essence,” he said.

Days before the video of the barges surfaced on Chinese social media, the Marine Safety Administration of Guangdong province issued a notice banning ships from entering a long, narrow body of water due to “maritime tests.” The geo-coordinates of the restricted zone matched the location of the barges confirmed by satellite imagery.

By March 21, satellite imagery from Maxar Technologies showed that the barges had moved about 15 kilometers south along the coast. The images also captured a roll-on/roll-off (RO-RO) ferry docked beside the third and largest barge, positioned farthest from shore. Days later, a Planet Labs satellite image showed another RO-RO cargo ship approaching the same barge from the opposite side.

According to Shugart, Chinese authorities may be testing the barges’ ability to interface with civilian RO-RO vessels, which could significantly boost the PLA’s sealift capabilities by enabling the rapid transfer of large numbers of wheeled and tracked vehicles.

Designed to transport large numbers of vehicles to overseas markets, RO-RO ships have proliferated globally, but especially in China in recent years to meet the surging global demand for Chinese electric vehicles. But Chinese military planners and state media have also taken note of their dual-use capabilities to support the PLA’s operations.

In a 2021 military drill, China’s state broadcaster CCTV praised RO-RO ferries for enabling “large-scale, full-unit land and sea deployment with immediate unloading and loading.” Footage aired by the broadcaster showed rows of tanks neatly lined up inside such a ferry.

“These barges can significantly improve the PLA capability to deliver logistics following an invasion,” said Dahm, the former US Navy intelligence officer.

But he noted they are only part of Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s ambition to modernize the PLA and transform it into a “world class” military.

American officials believe Xi has instructed the PLA to be ready to invade Taiwan by 2027, though they have stressed that doesn’t mean an invasion will occur in 2027.

“In the context of all of the other improvements that we’re seeing to PLA capabilities and especially to PLA infrastructure, the barges are just the shiny object that draws attention to the fact that the PLA is making these preparations to be prepared to act on Xi Jinping’s orders in the next several years, if called upon to do so,” Dahm said.

The White House said Tuesday that both Ukraine and Russia have agreed to stop using force in the Black Sea – a deal in principle that the Kremlin says comes with several conditions before it can be implemented.

US officials held a series of separate meetings with Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Saudi Arabia in recent days. The White House outlined the agreements it said the US struck with Russia and Ukraine in two separate, but very similar statements on Tuesday.

Both said that the US and each of the respective countries “have agreed to ensure safe navigation, eliminate the use of force, and prevent the use of commercial vessels for military purposes in the Black Sea.”

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed in a news conference in Kyiv that Ukraine has agreed to stop using military force in the Black Sea. However, the Kremlin’s statement added that it would only implement the deal when restrictions on its banks and food and fertilizer exports are lifted.

The sanctions were imposed after Moscow launched its unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The US appeared to have offered different rewards to Kyiv and Moscow for sticking to their side of the bargain, including a promise that it would “help restore Russia’s access to the world market for agricultural and fertilizer exports, lower maritime insurance costs, and enhance access to ports and payment systems for such transactions” – a possible indication of willingness by the US to lift some of its strict economic sanctions. The details and timeline of relaxing restrictions remain unclear, as does the future of European sanctions.

Kyiv and its European allies have previously warned against lifting sanctions before a ceasefire is in place.

The two statements from the White House also said that the US and the two countries – separately – agreed to “develop measures for implementing” an agreement to ban strikes against energy facilities of Russia and Ukraine.

Zelensky seemed more optimistic about this part of the agreement, telling reporters in Kyiv that Ukraine and Russia have also agreed to pause strikes on each other’s energy infrastructure. He said that Ukraine has provided the US with a list of energy facilities it would like to be protected.

However, he also confirmed that “civilian infrastructure will not be included in the agreement.” Russia has been regularly attacking Ukrainian cities in recent weeks, killing dozens of Ukrainian civilians this month.

In the statement outlining the results of the talks with Ukraine, the White House said the US “remains committed to helping achieve the exchange of prisoners of war, the release of civilian detainees, and the return of forcibly transferred Ukrainian children.”

As the Trump administration pushes for peace in Ukraine, Russian officials have previously indicated interest in US-led proposals, accompanied by strenuous conditions. Earlier this month, after Kyiv accepted a US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire covering the entire front line, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that he “agreed with the proposal” in spirit but requested a number of concessions before signing up to it.

An agreement that Ukraine and Russia stop targeting energy infrastructure has also been marred by allegations that both sides have continued to attack energy sites.

No joint statement from US and Russia

The White House statements came after lengthy talks between the two sides on a potential ceasefire in Ukraine ended without a joint statement, despite expectations that there would be one.

The Russian state news agency Interfax quoted the first deputy chairman of the Russian Federation Council’s Defence and Security Committee, Vladimir Chizhov, as telling state TV channel Rossiya-24 that the statement was “not adopted because of Ukraine’s position.”

“The fact that they sat for 12 hours and seemed to agree on a joint statement, which however was not adopted due to Ukraine’s position, is also very characteristic and symptomatic,” Chizhov told Russia-24, according to Interfax.

Kyiv was not represented in the talks and Chizhov did not give any details on “Ukraine’s position.”

Russian and US officials had met at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Riyadh on Monday, the same location where the US delegation met with Ukrainian officials a day earlier. Ukraine’s Defense Minister Rustem Umerov described his meeting with President Donald Trump’s envoy Keith Kellogg on Sunday as “productive and focused.”

Trump has made ending the war in Ukraine one of his priorities. He went as far as promising during his election campaign that he would achieve peace within 24 hours of being in office.

Instead of a full truce, the White House statements on Tuesday outline an agreement to stop using force in the sea, similar to the Black Sea grain initiative that was in place earlier in the war.

Brokered by the United Nations and Turkey, the deal allowed Ukraine to export grain by sea, with ships bypassing a Russian blockade of the country’s Black Sea ports and navigating safe passage through the waterway to Turkey’s Bosphorus Strait in order to reach global markets. Ukraine was one of the world’s leading grain exporters before Russia’s full-scale invasion.

The initiative was signed in July 2022 and renewed three times before Russia allowed it to lapse in July 2023, saying that its demands had not been met. Moscow had for some time complained that it had been prevented from adequately exporting its own foodstuffs under the deal.

However, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Tuesday that Moscow was in favor of resuming the Black Sea Grain Initiative, “with certain conditions.”

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday that Moscow was “analyzing” the results of the second round of talks between Russian and US officials.

He also said there were currently no plans for Trump and Putin to speak, although he added that a conversation between the two leaders could be arranged “quite quickly.”

Meanwhile, Lavrov told Russia’s Channel One that the US must “order” Zelensky to respect a new Black Sea grain deal, hinting at the belief by Moscow that the US is prepared to strong-arm Kyiv into an agreement.

Indeed, the White House has made it clear to Zelensky and his nation that US military, economic and intelligence support rests on his willingness to participate in Trump’s peace process.

South Korea grounded firefighting helicopters following a fatal crash on Wednesday as authorities struggle to contain “unprecedented” wildfires that have ravaged the country’s southeast, killing at least 19 people and destroying a centuries-old Buddhist temple.

The helicopter crashed while working to contain a fast-spreading fire in Uiseong County, located more than 125 miles (200 kilometers) southeast of the capital Seoul, according to local fire officials. The pilot, the only person onboard, was confirmed dead.

At least 19 people have been killed and 19 others injured as wildfires fueled by dry air and strong winds rage in the country’s southern regions, threatening several historic sites, according to a situation report released by the Interior Safety Ministry.

Among those killed were four civil servants dispatched to fight the wildfire, authorities said.

The 1,300-year-old Gounsa temple in Uiseong County, a major Buddhist landmark, was burned to the ground with its ceremonial bell the only piece appearing somewhat intact, according to photos from the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism.

Some of the artifacts that were in the historic site, including the seated stone Buddha designated a treasure by the state, were spared from the fire as they were relocated to other temples ahead of the approaching blazes, it added.

More than 10,000 firefighters, police and civil servants have been deployed to multiple areas in the south since dozens of blazes broke out over the weekend, authorities said.

As of Wednesday, the fires had burned more than 17,398 hectares (nearly 43,000 acres) of land, officials said.

Han Duck-soo, South Korea’s prime minister and acting president, said the fires were the worst the country has seen in recent years and had caused “unprecedented damage.”

“We need to focus all our capabilities on extinguishing wildfires for the rest of this week as we’re concerned about unprecedented wildfire damages,” Han told reporters.

Officials in Andong and other southeastern areas ordered residents to evacuate on Tuesday as strong and dry winds hampered efforts to contain the blazes. As of Wednesday, 68% of the fire in Uiseong and Andong had been contained, according to authorities.

In recent days, the wildfires have spread across the Uiseong area and reached dangerously close to the historic Hahoe Folk Village in Andong, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Residents of the village have been asked to evacuate and firefighters have sought to protect the traditional homes, known as “hanoks,” by deploying water around the site’s perimeter.

The wildfires broke out Friday after a spark from a lawn mower ignited in Sancheong, South Gyeongsang province, about 300 kilometers (186 miles) south of Seoul.

The government declared a state of emergency for Ulsan city, South and North Gyeongsang provinces on Saturday. The Korea Forest Service raised its wildfire warning to the highest “serious” level nationwide Tuesday, urging local governments to assign more resources to emergency response and tighten entry restrictions for forests and parks.

As of Wednesday, wildfires were still active in several areas of North and South Gyeongsang and Ulsan city.

Authorities have issued a dry weather alert for the affected areas and wider southeastern regions, however officials hope rain forecasted for Thursday will assist firefighters in their efforts to put out the blazes.

Wildfires are not unusual in South Korea, particularly in February, March and April when conditions are driest.

However, Han said this year has been particularly bad – with 244 wildfires reported, 2.4 times higher than the same period last year.

“We sincerely ask the people to pay special attention and cooperate to prevent wildfires so that our neighbors do not have to suffer the same pain due to large-scale wildfires that repeat every year,” Han said.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

It’s not the full 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine that US President Donald Trump demanded – far from it. But it is a deal with both Russia and Ukraine and, therefore, a rare sign of progress.

The White House announced Tuesday that both Ukraine and Russia have agreed to a limited deal restricting military action in the Black Sea – albeit with several conditions.

The key part of the agreement seeks to ensure safe passage for commercial shipping and to stop military strikes in the Black Sea. Russia and Ukraine would essentially get back unfettered access to ports crucial for their exports of grain and other agricultural produce.

Ukraine, which has waged a devastatingly successful drone campaign against the Russian Black Sea Fleet, has made clear that any return movement of Russian naval vessels would be seen by them as a violation.

A second part of the agreement includes the US and Russia developing measures to halt strikes on Russian and Ukrainian energy facilities for a period of 30 days – yet more progress, albeit partial.

But with the Kremlin there is always a rub.

After the agreement was announced, the Kremlin revealed it would only implement it after a series of sanctions had been lifted on its financial institutions involved in agricultural trade.

This would be sanctions relief via the back door.

Among other things, this is likely to include a restoration of Russia’s access, at least in part, to the US-controlled SWIFT international payments system, from which Russia has been excluded since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The Trump administration has already made breathtaking concessions to the Kremlin, taking Ukrainian NATO membership off the table and forcing Kyiv to accept territorial losses, in what remains a yet unsuccessful bid to forge peace in Ukraine.

Lifting sanctions designed to punish Moscow – which are currently causing real economic pain there – without even a short-term ceasefire commitment from the Kremlin in return, risks looking like yet another capitulation to Putin. It’s certainly one of the main things Putin wants.

Trump, who insists he remains determined to end the bloodshed in Ukraine, has found himself confronted with the complex reality of even pausing this brutal war, exploited by Putin’s tough and seasoned negotiators.

It’s worth remembering how Trump repeatedly boasted he could end the conflict in just 24 hours, later revising that to a more realistic, but still wildly ambitious, timeframe.

Now, the bar for success seems to be a short pause in the killing and, as the latest agreement has starkly underlined, even that remains elusive.

The crucial question, though, is whether this creeping ceasefire is the start of a real peace process that may develop into an actual cessation of hostilities and even a lasting peace in Ukraine.

Or will it turn out to be yet another false dawn, an agreement that leads nowhere or even, as many Ukrainians fear, toward a gradual surrender to Moscow.