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Taiwan Probes Suspected Chinese Sabotage of Undersea Cable

Taiwan Probes Suspected Chinese Sabotage of Undersea Cable

 

Taiwan suspects a Chinese-owned cargo vessel damaged an undersea cable near its northeastern coast on Friday, in an alleged act of sabotage that underscores the vulnerabilities of Taipei’s offshore communications infrastructure.

The ship is owned by a Hong Kong-registered company whose director is a mainland Chinese citizen, according to reports. A Taiwanese official cited in the report described the incident as deliberate sabotage.

This comes after another Chinese vessel was suspected of involvement in damaging data cables in the Baltic Sea last November. While fishing trawlers are sometimes known to accidentally damage undersea cables, nation-states have also been accused of intentional sabotage, though such claims are often difficult to prove.

The Taiwanese coast guard identified the Cameroon-flagged Shunxing39 as the suspected vessel in a statement released Monday, noting that all seven crew members on board are Chinese nationals. Officers attempted to board the ship for investigation but were thwarted by rough weather. However, radar records and related evidence have been submitted to prosecutors for further review, the maritime authority said.

Fortunately, the damage did not disrupt connectivity, as data traffic was immediately rerouted to other cables, according to a statement from Chunghwa Telecom Co., Taiwan’s largest telecommunications company.

The damaged cable system is co-owned by Chunghwa Telecom, AT&T Inc. in the U.S., and regional operators, including Japan’s Nippon Telegraph & Telephone Corp. and China Telecom Corp.

Taiwan has sought assistance from South Korean authorities as the Shunxing39 is expected to dock in Busan in the coming days, a Taiwanese national security official revealed.

The security of undersea cables has become a growing concern in Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory and has threatened to take by force if necessary.

In 2023, telecommunication services in Taiwan’s Matsu Islands were disrupted for months after Chinese fishing vessels reportedly cut the cables.



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