The Hainan, a type 075 amphibious assault ship, has been commissioned by Beijing and is expected to be deployed in the South China Sea. Military experts have suggested the deployment will cause concern with Taiwan and other countries in maritime disputes with China. Dr Collin Koh, Research Fellow at RSIS, said the new deployment could scare China’s neighbours into responding to the “widening asymmetry” with Beijing’s military power compared to their own. In a grim warning about the Hainan, the expert said it can “perform offensive functions – such as capture of terrestrial features in the disputed Spratlys, and in a Taiwan invasion scenario”.