Taiwan Requests South Korea’s Assistance in Investigating Chinese Ship for Damaging Undersea Cables

Taiwan has sought South Korea’s assistance in investigating a Chinese cargo vessel suspected of severing undersea communication cables off its coast. This development comes amid escalating tensions in the Taiwan Strait, and observers are closely monitoring whether this incident could further strain cross-strait relations.

On Sunday, the Financial Times reported that Chunghwa Telecom (CHT), Taiwan’s leading telecommunications company, and the Coast Guard believe the cargo ship Shunxing39 damaged undersea communication cables off Keelung’s northern coast on January 3.

A Taiwanese Coast Guard official stated, “We have requested South Korean authorities to investigate the vessel at its next port of call, as we were unable to question the captain directly.” FT added that Taiwanese national security officials expect the Chinese cargo ship to dock in Busan within days.

While Shunxing39 sails under the Cameroonian flag and is registered to a Hong Kong company, Taiwanese officials noted that the sole director listed for the company is from mainland China. Based on Automatic Identification System (AIS) data and satellite imagery analysis, Taiwanese authorities believe the cargo ship intentionally lowered its anchor to cut the undersea communication cables linking Taiwan to the U.S. West Coast. The damaged cables are part of the Trans-Pacific Express (TPE) network, owned by an international consortium that includes AT&T, NTT, KT, China Telecom, and China Unicom.

This incident has fueled speculation in Taiwan that China may be testing methods to disrupt Taiwan’s communications with the outside world. Taiwan relies heavily on fourteen undersea cables for 95% of its international data and voice traffic. A senior Taiwanese security official commented, “The vessel involved in this incident is an aging ship with little other business. Its condition is poor, reminiscent of Russia’s ‘shadow fleet.'”

Taiwanese authorities explained that adverse weather conditions prevented Coast Guard personnel from boarding the suspect vessel. Additionally, the time elapsed since the incident made it challenging to detain the ship for investigation under international law. Financial Times reported that vessel tracking data showed Shunxing39 had been operating near Taiwan’s northern coast since December 8, well before the cable-cutting incident.