Although severe weather prohibited its staff from boarding the ship to conduct an investigation, Taiwan’s coast guard has stated that it believes a ship broke an underwater communications line over the weekend.
A ship registered to both Tanzania and Cameroon was suspected of causing damage to an underwater communications cable northeast of the island, the coast guard said on Saturday.
The Coast Guard said late Monday that bad weather had prevented it from boarding the ship and that it had proceeded to Busan, South Korea. They claimed that the owner, who was not identified, was based in Hong Kong and that all seven crew members were Chinese.
The coast guard cited incidents of underwater cables being damaged in the Baltic Sea in Europe last year, citing incidents that Baltic Sea nations have complained about since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and stated that based on the vessel’s historical tracks, it is impossible to confirm its true intention.
A request for response from China’s Taiwan Affairs Office was not answered.
Taiwan, a territory claimed by China, has protested about frequent Chinese military actions in the area, including sand dredging and balloon overflights.
It claims that these actions, which it refers to as “grey zone tactics,” are intended to exert pressure on the island without resorting to direct conflict.
According to a senior Taiwanese security official who spoke to Reuters, Taipei has requested assistance from Seoul over the ship.
Taiwan had asked South Korea’s coast guard for assistance in verifying information on the ship, but no cooperation request had been made to look into it, the coast guard told Reuters.
If the Foreign Ministry receives a formal request for cooperation but no decision is made, we want to reconsider the situation, the statement stated.
Late Monday, Taiwan’s Ministry of Digital Affairs stated that the cable damage had not impacted communications and that it was anticipated to be fixed by February 3.
The 14,000 residents of the Taiwan-controlled Matsu islands, which are near the Chinese shore, were cut off from the internet in 2023 when two underwater cables were severed.
At the time, authorities claimed there was no proof Beijing had interfered with the cables, but their preliminary investigation indicated a Chinese freighter and a Chinese fishing vessel were responsible for the disturbance.
In recent years, Taiwan has made efforts to increase its ability to handle crises, ranging from natural catastrophes to armed conflicts, and to use satellites as backup communications in the event that its international sea cables are severed.
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