Taiwan Accuses Chinese Ship Of Cutting Undersea Cable In Suspected Sabotage

Taiwan’s Coast Guard suspects a Chinese-owned cargo vessel, Shunxin-39, of severing an undersea telecom cable off its northern coast on January 3, 2025.

The cable operator Chunghwa Telecom reported the issue to the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) at 12:40 p.m. on Friday. The damaged cable had four severed cores.

Despite the damage, domestic communication services remained unaffected due to backup systems.

Later that day, at about 4:40 p.m., a CGA patrol vessel located the Shunxin-39, a Cameroon-flagged cargo ship, about seven nautical miles north of Yehliu.

The CGA ordered the vessel to return to the Keelung Port for investigation. However, adverse weather conditions prevented officials from boarding the freighter.

The ship’s current location remains unknown, and its AIS signal has not been detected since Friday.

While the ship is flagged in Cameroon, Taiwanese authorities revealed it is owned by a Hong Kong-based company headed by a Chinese citizen.

Local media reports suspect that the incident may be linked to China’s plan of testing international responses through covert “gray-zone” tactics.

Marco Ho Cheng-hui, CEO of Kuma Academy, a Taiwanese civil defence group, says that China is targeting Taiwan’s infrastructure. He said such actions are meant to probe how far Beijing can go without facing international consequences.

The CGA has handed over its findings to the District Prosecutor’s Office for further investigation. Authorities aim to determine criminal liability and seek compensation for the damage.

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not commented on the accusations, and Taiwanese officials continue to monitor the situation. Similar cases of undersea infrastructure damage have been reported in other regions recently.

In November 2024, two fibre-optic cables in the Baltic were severed, with investigations focusing on the Chinese bulk carrier Yi Peng 3.

Finnish authorities also launched a probe in December after the Estlink 2 power cable and four telecom lines were damaged. In that case, the Eagle S, a tanker linked to Russia’s shadow fleet was suspected of dragging its anchor across the cables.

Over the past 15 months, at least three merchant ships have allegedly damaged cables and pipelines in the Baltic. NATO has since increased its patrols in the region.

Taiwanese officials have appealed to the European Union for assistance and are working on plans to reduce reliance on vulnerable undersea cables.

The government plans to deploy low-and medium-Earth orbit satellites to enhance communication resilience. Meanwhile, Chunghwa Telecom has assured that international traffic will remain operational through backup systems.

“We will ensure accountability and strengthen defences against future threats,” the CGA said in a statement.

References: ABC, Bloomberg

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