Chinese Ship Suspected of Cutting Internet Cable near Taiwan

taiwan - A Chinese cargo ship is suspected of damaging an undersea communication cable connecting Taiwan's main island with a nearby archipelago.

Chinese Ship Suspected of Damaging Internet Cable near Taiwan

On Tuesday morning, the Taiwanese coast guard was alerted by Chunghwa Telecom that a communication cable had been damaged. The cable connects Taiwan's main island with Penghu, an archipelago to the west of Taiwan and east of mainland China. The coast guard reported that a cargo ship had come 'very close' to the cable.

Further investigation will determine whether the damage was intentional sabotage or an accident, according to the Taiwanese coast guard. The ship, registered under the Togolese flag, was carrying eight Chinese crew members. Taiwan has created a list of over fifty ships suspected of sailing under flags like Togo's but actually being Chinese.

China has dismissed the incident as a common maritime accident. Taipei, on the other hand, is concerned about disruptions to its internet connection and external communications. The importance of undersea cables in global internet traffic was highlighted by NATO chief Mark Rutte, who stated that over 95 percent of global internet traffic flows through them.

This incident is not the first involving damaged undersea cables near Taiwan. In January, a Chinese-registered ship in Cameroon was investigated for damaging a cable linking to the US. In February 2023, damage to cables near the Matsu Islands left residents without internet for weeks, with two Chinese ships suspected of cutting the cables.

Taiwan has also raised concerns about Chinese coast guard patrols around the Kinmen Islands, which are controlled by Taipei but closer to mainland China. Tensions escalated last year after two Chinese fishermen died while being pursued by the Taiwanese coast guard near Kinmen.