Taiwan has detained a cargo ship crewed by Chinese nationals following the severing of a subsea telecoms cable near the island, as confirmed by the Taiwanese coast guard on Tuesday. This incident marks yet another occurrence in a series of undersea cable disruptions that Taiwan has experienced, some of which have been attributed to natural causes or involvement by Chinese vessels.
The disruption of the undersea cable—which connects Taiwan to the strategically significant Penghu island group within the contentious Taiwan Strait—was reported early Tuesday by Chunghwa Telecom. The Ministry of Digital Affairs noted that the cable was disconnected, prompting the coast guard to act quickly in intercepting the Togolese-registered cargo ship, Hongtai. The vessel was escorted back to Taiwan for further investigation, which is being handled under national security protocols.
Investigators are currently examining whether the severing of the undersea cable was the result of intentional sabotage or simply an accident, with the coast guard indicating that this determination will require further scrutiny. The Hongtai is notable for its use of a “flag of convenience,” and the coast guard revealed that it is crewed by eight individuals from China and is backed by Chinese funding.
The context of this incident comes amid heightened tensions between Taiwan and China, with Beijing viewing Taiwan as a breakaway province and having threatened to exert control over the island by force. Concerns are mounting that China could target Taiwan’s communication infrastructure in a broader strategic move, complicating the security landscape in the region. The coast guard suggested that the incident could represent a form of “grey zone intrusion” by China—actions that stop short of overt military aggression.
Taiwan maintains a large network of vital underwater cables, comprising 14 international and 10 domestic lines. In response to the severed cable, Chunghwa Telecom has been tasked with rerouting voice and internet services from Penghu through alternative undersea connections.
The strategic importance of these undersea cables cannot be overstated, as they carry a significant proportion of global data and communications. In recent months, Taiwan’s undersea cable system has faced increased scrutiny and concern over its security. Earlier in the year, another Chinese-owned cargo ship was suspected of causing a cable disruption northeast of the island. Furthermore, two aging cables serving Taiwan’s Matsu archipelago suffered outages last month, attributed to “natural deterioration.”
In a similar vein, two subsea telecoms lines serving Matsu were cut in February, leading to prolonged communication outages, further fueling speculation among local residents and officials about the involvement of Chinese vessels, including fishing boats and sand dredgers that operate in Taiwanese waters.
In light of these events, the Taiwanese coast guard has heightened vigilance, designating 52 “suspicious” Chinese-owned ships—many of which display flags from countries such as Mongolia, Cameroon, Tanzania, Togo, and Sierra Leone—as subjects for close monitoring. This monitoring includes scrutinizing anomalies in the ships’ automatic identification systems and taking steps such as radio warnings or boarding inspections for vessels loitering near critical undersea cables.
As the investigation into the Hongtai continues, it remains unclear if the vessel falls within the monitored group of 52 ships, underscoring the ongoing tensions and complexities surrounding Taiwan’s security and its critical communication infrastructure.
