China has released new footage showing full-scale amphibious assault drills conducted by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in the South China Sea. The video, widely circulated on social media, cited sources from the PLA and the CIG Telegram channel.

The footage shows operations by the Eastern Theater Command’s 72nd Group Army, which ran complex amphibious exercises featuring air-cushion landing craft, live-fire wave assaults, and small boat operations.

The Chinese PLA released new video of recent amphibious exercises:

• Eastern Theater Command’s 72nd Group Army conducted “ferrying and assault wave formation training” on 7 June
• A landing ship detachment “assembled an air-cushion landing craft formation and deployed to a… pic.twitter.com/E6XQ9CA1d3

— Ian Ellis (@ianellisjones) June 25, 2025

The drills were conducted under what Chinese military sources described as “complex conditions,” suggesting simulated conflict scenarios in high-risk maritime zones. According to the footage, landing craft were launched from a flotilla of amphibious ships, ferrying troops who conducted coordinated beach landings with live ammunition.

The use of air-cushion landing craft and amphibious vehicles resembling armored tank boats marks an increased emphasis on mobility and assault capability. The exercises included full-spectrum operational drills, from ship-to-shore deployment to wave assaults under live-fire conditions.

Observers interpret the timing and scale of the operation as part of broader strategic signaling by Beijing. Tensions in the South China Sea remain high due to overlapping territorial claims from Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan. 

China’s increasing militarization in the region has included the construction of artificial islands and the deployment of missile systems on reef outposts, leading to ongoing friction with regional neighbors and Western powers.