In a recent development that has heightened tensions between Taipei and Beijing, Taiwanese authorities are investigating the Hongtai, a cargo ship suspected of severing an undersea communications cable. The incident has raised significant national security concerns, as the entire crew of the Hongtai consists of Chinese nationals.
The Taiwanese coast guard reported that the Hongtai, a Togolese-flagged vessel, was intercepted between Taiwan’s main island and the outlying Penghu Islands. Chunghwa Telecom had alerted the coast guard that one of its undersea cables had been damaged six nautical miles northwest of Jiangjun Fishing Harbor. Despite the damage, communications on the Penghu Islands remained stable, thanks to a backup cable successfully activated.
The Coast Guard is investigating whether the cable break was intentional sabotage or an accident. This incident follows a series of similar claims against China, where undersea cables have been damaged in suspicious circumstances. The Hongtai had been anchored in the area since Saturday evening, and authorities had sent signals to the vessel multiple times without receiving any response. After the cable damage report, the Coast Guard approached the ship, which had begun to sail northwestward, and escorted it to Anping Port.
The case is being handled with national security-level principles, and the possibility of this being part of a Chinese grey-zone incursion cannot be ruled out. Grey-zone activities fall short of direct military confrontation but are intended to pressure or destabilize the target country.
This incident is the latest in a series of undersea cable disruptions around Taiwan. Earlier this year, a Chinese cargo ship was suspected of severing a cable northeast of the island. In February 2023, two undersea cables serving Taiwan’s Matsu Islands were severed, disrupting communications for weeks1. Taiwan fears that China might damage its underwater communications cables as part of attempts to blockade or seize the island, which Beijing claims as its own.
The investigation into the Hongtai and its crew is ongoing, and Taiwanese authorities are determined to clarify the cause of the cable break. The outcome of this investigation could have significant implications for the already strained relations between Taiwan and China.
