Shortly after critical undersea telecommunications cables were severed in the Baltic Sea region by a Chinese vessel, a similar incident has occurred off Taiwan’s northern coast at the start of the new year.
Taiwan English News reported that four core subsea telecom cables were damaged off the coast in Yehliu, New Taipei City, on Friday.
Chunghwa Telecom operates the $500 million Trans-Pacific Express cable network via a joint venture between six telecom companies, including China Telecom, China Netcom, China Unicom, Chunghwa Telecom, Korea Telecom, and Verizon Communications.
The cable connects East Asia to the US West Coast.
According to Taiwan’s National Coast Guard Administration, the Chinese vessel suspected of cutting the subsea cable just north of Taiwan is “Shunxin 39.” It’s a Cameroon-registered cargo ship.
EurAsian Times noted that Shunxin 39 is registered in Cameroon and belongs to Jie Yang Trading Limited, a Hong Kong-based company headed by Guo Wenjie, a Chinese national.
Chunghwa Telecom has confirmed that data disruptions were restored by rerouting traffic to other international subsea cables.
Regarding the vessel, a Taiwan Coast Guard official informed the Financial Times, “Since it was not possible for us to question the captain, we have asked the South Korean authorities to assist with the investigation at the ship’s next port of call.”
The recent undersea cable-cutting incident raises concerns of potential sabotage by agents of China and Russia, highlighting worries about hybrid warfare tactics impacting Western telecommunication infrastructure globally.
A senior Taiwanese national security official expressed, “This is another instance of a troubling global trend of sabotage against subsea cables. The vessels involved in these incidents are typically in poor condition and engage in suspicious activities. This particular vessel is reminiscent of Russia’s ‘shadow fleet.’
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