The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s fourth Type 075 amphibious assault ship Hubei conducts training exercise in formation with four Type 071 amphibious landing ships at an undisclosed date in the South China Sea. Photo: Screenshot from the Weibo account of China Bugle, an official media account of the PLA's news media center

The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s fourth Type 075 amphibious assault ship has been officially named the Hubei and has participated in maritime training exercises in the South China Sea, according to official media reports on Friday.

Celebrating the 98th founding anniversary of the PLA on Friday, officers and sailors on the Hubei, standing on the vessel’s large flight deck, sent congratulations to their comrades-in-arms, China Bugle, an official media account of the PLA's news media center, reported on Friday.

The report noted that the Hubei is the PLA Navy’s fourth Type 075 amphibious assault ship, and is given the hull number 34.

Another report, by the military channel of China Central Television (CCTV), showed clips of the Hubei and another Type 075 amphibious ship, the Hainan, formed a formation and held training exercise in the South China Sea.
 
The formation also featured four Type 071 amphibious landing ships, and the Hubei held integration training with the Type 726 air cushioned landing craft, the CCTV report shows.
 
Often dubbed a helicopter carrier, the Type 075 amphibious assault ship has a straight flight deck similar to an aircraft carrier, but mainly hosts helicopters in addition to amphibious vehicles and landing craft.

China’s first Type 075, the Hainan, was launched in Shanghai on September 25, 2019, and commissioned into the PLA Southern Theater Command on April 23, 2021; the second, the Guangxi, was launched on April 22, 2020, and made its debut in April 2022 with the PLA Eastern Theater Command; the third, the Anhui, was officially debuted in November 2022, also with the PLA Eastern Theater Command, according to official media reports.
 
The official WeChat account of the PLA Southern Theater Command on Friday posted an article to mark the 98th anniversary of the PLA’s founding, stating: “Officers and sailors of Hubei solemnly swear an oath to the military flag.” This indicates the Hubei is in service with the PLA Southern Theater Command.
 
Song Zhongping, a Chinese military affairs expert, told the Global Times that the Type 075 amphibious assault ship is a new generation of amphibious landing vessel. While the Type 071 amphibious landing ship focuses on landing from the sea, the Type 075 focuses more on landing from the air, thanks to its capability of carrying more helicopters.

A combination of Type 075 and Type 071 enables the PLA to have stronger joint operations capabilities in amphibious combat operations in locations such as the South China Sea and around the island of Taiwan, Song said.

Having four Type 075 amphibious assault ships shows the increasing amphibious combat capabilities of the PLA Navy, which is determined by the demands on defending national sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as safeguarding national security, Song said.

China has also developed a next generation of amphibious assault ship. In December 2024, China launched the world’s first electromagnetic catapult-equipped amphibious assault ship, the Type 076, the Xinhua News Agency reported.