TAIPEI– Taiwan detained a Chinese-crewed cargo ship on Tuesday after a subsea telecoms cable was severed off the island, the coast guard said.
It is the latest in a series of Taiwanese undersea cable breakages, with previous incidents blamed on natural causes or Chinese ships.
Taiwan’s Chunghwa Telecom reported the cable between Penghu, a strategic island group in the sensitive Taiwan Strait, and Taiwan was disconnected early Tuesday, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said.
The Togolese-registered ship Hongtai was intercepted in the area and escorted back to Taiwan, the coast guard said.
The case was being “handled in accordance with national security-level principles”, it added.
“Whether the cause of the undersea cable breakage was intentional sabotage or a simple accident remains to be clarified by further investigation.”
The Hongtai, using a flag of convenience, was crewed by eight Chinese nationals and had Chinese funding, the coast guard said.
Flags of convenience allow shipping companies to register their vessels in countries to which they have no link — for a fee and freedom from oversight.
Beijing claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has threatened to use force to bring it under its control.
And Taiwan fears China could sever its communication links as part of an attempt to seize the island or blockade it.
