Officials in Taipei reported four cores of an international submarine cable transmitting data to America’s AT&T were ruptured on Friday.
Tracking data showed the Shunxing39 cargo ship dropped its anchor near the rupture site by Keelung port, according to Taiwan’s coast guard.
The Shunxing39, which sails under Cameroon’s flag, is owned by Jie Yang Trading Ltd, a Hong Kong-registered company linked to Chinese citizen Guo Wenjie, according to Taiwanese authorities.
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Chunghwa Telecom quickly rerouted data through other cables to restore connections on Friday morning.
However, Taiwan remains concerned that Beijing might target undersea infrastructure during any move to annex the island, which lies off China’s south-eastern coast.
A member of Taiwan’s coast guard observed a Chinese coast guard vessel on 9 December, reporting "unusual movements" of seven such ships between 6 December 6 and 9 December.
Taiwanese coast guard personnel monitored the Shunxing39 during the recent incident, requesting assistance from South Korea, where the ship is headed, as they were unable to question the captain.
Meanwhile, an external inspection of the ship was conducted on Friday by a Taiwanese coast guard vessel, but boarding was hindered by adverse weather conditions.
“This is another case of a very worrying global trend of sabotage against subsea cables,” a senior Taiwanese national security official told the Financial Times.
This comes as Chinese-owned ships have also previously faced allegations of intentionally damaging essential sea cables in the Baltic Sea between October 2023 and November 2024.
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