Photo credit: www.yahoo.com
TAIPEI (Reuters) – Taiwan’s coast guard announced the detention of a cargo vessel with links to China on Tuesday. This action follows the disconnection of an undersea cable connected to the Penghu Islands, located within the strategically important Taiwan Strait.
Taiwan, which is viewed by China as a part of its territory, has voiced concerns over a range of Chinese military and non-military activities in the vicinity. These activities aim to exert pressure on Taiwan without direct military confrontation and have included various means such as drone flights and coastal dredging operations.
In a recent incident earlier this year, the Taiwanese authorities expressed apprehension after a ship linked to China was thought to have damaged another undersea cable. This led to increased protective measures from naval and other government agencies for the critical undersea connections, essential for Taiwan’s global communications.
The coast guard reported that they dispatched three vessels to apprehend the Hong Tai 58, a cargo ship flagged in Togo. This vessel was anchored in close proximity to the affected sea cable off Taiwan’s southwestern coast at the time of the disconnection.
Designated as a vessel operating under a flag of convenience, the Hong Tai 58 is owned by a company outside its registration nation, which in this case is Togo. All eight crew members aboard are identified as Chinese nationals. The coast guard indicated that there is a possibility of this incident being part of China’s broader strategy of grey-zone activities targeting Taiwan, although further investigations are necessary.
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office had no immediate comment on the incident, and attempts by Reuters to reach the vessel’s owner were unsuccessful.
Despite these developments, the digital ministry of Taiwan reassured that communication services between Taiwan and its offshore islands, including Penghu, remained unaffected due to rerouting through alternative cables.
A senior security official from Taiwan, who wished to remain anonymous due to the sensitive nature of the situation, indicated that the government is treating the incident as a matter of national security. The official highlighted concerns regarding the ship’s unusual activity, noting that it had been stationed in the waters southwest of Taiwan since Saturday without responding to repeated coast guard inquiries.
This year, there have been five reported cases of undersea cable disruptions in Taiwan, compared to three incidents each in the preceding years of 2024 and 2023. In 2023, two cables linking the Matsu islands were severed, resulting in loss of internet connectivity. Although Taiwanese officials attributed the disruptions to Chinese vessels, they clarified that there was no conclusive evidence of intentional sabotage by Beijing.
(This report has been amended to correctly state Tuesday in the first paragraph)
Source
www.yahoo.com