Taiwan Suspects China of Latest Undersea Cable Attack

Taiwanese officials say a Chinese-owned ship severed a critical undersea cable off their northern coast on January 3.

This is the latest in a series of attacks on undersea cables and other infrastructure by Russia and China to sabotage their enemies.

Details: Early Friday morning, the Taiwanese government-run telecommunications operator Chungwha Telecom received a disruption warning about an underwater cable near Taiwan’s Keelung Harbor.

• Tracking data revealed that the Shunxin-39, a Cameroon-flagged but Chinese-owned cargo ship, had dropped its anchor and dragged it to rupture the cable, Chungwha Telecom and the Taiwan Coast Guard said.
• Seven crew members aboard the ship were Chinese nationals.
• Chungwha Telecom said Internet service was restored immediately by rerouting data through other underwater cables.

Undersea sabotage: Chinese-owned vessels have recently been accused of damaging many undersea cables.

• In October 2023, Chinese ships “accidentally” disabled the only two undersea cables connecting Taiwan’s Matsu Islands to the Internet.
• The same month, a Chinese vessel damaged an undersea gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea.
• Just two months ago, a Chinese-flagged ship was suspected of damaging two underwater cables: one between Lithuania and Sweden, the other between Finland and Germany.
• Russia, China’s main ally, is suspected of multiple undersea cable attacks against nato in recent months.

Overlooked vulnerability: The Trumpet has warned since 1995 about the technological vulnerability of the United States and its allies. This includes the West’s reliance on the vast network of undersea cables, which it depends on for the Internet and international communication.

Russia and China know about this vulnerability. Expect them to continue targeting their enemies’ underwater infrastructure.

Learn more: Read “The Undersea Threat to the Internet.”