Taiwan Charges Chinese Ship Captain with Damaging Undersea Cables

Taiwan prosecutors made a significant move on Friday by charging a Chinese ship captain with intentionally damaging undersea cables near the island in February. This marks the first time such charges have been brought forward, as Taiwan officials have been increasingly concerned about sea cable malfunctions amidst ongoing tensions with China.

The accused captain was in charge of the Chinese-crewed Hong Tai 58, a vessel registered in Togo. Taiwanese authorities detained the ship after suspecting it of dropping anchor in close proximity to an undersea cable off southwestern Taiwan, causing damage to the cable.

The prosecutors’ office in Tainan, a city in southern Taiwan, identified the ship’s Chinese captain as Wang. Wang has maintained his innocence but has not cooperated fully with the investigation, displaying a “bad attitude,” according to the prosecutors.

While seven other Chinese nationals who were also detained will not face charges and will be repatriated to China, this case represents Taiwan’s first prosecution related to damaging sea cables.

Efforts to identify the ownership of the ship have been inconclusive, and the captain’s legal representation is currently unknown. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office has yet to provide a response to the charges, previously dismissing Taiwan’s concerns as speculative before all the facts are known.

Taiwan has experienced an increase in sea cable malfunctions this year, with five reported cases compared to three in both 2024 and 2023, as reported by the digital ministry. In response, Taiwan’s coast guard has heightened surveillance measures, including monitoring a “blacklist” of nearly 100 China-linked ships registered under a different flag near Taiwan.

Concerns over Chinese activities around Taiwan have been ongoing, with incidents like balloon overflights and sand dredging used as tactics to exert pressure without direct confrontation. Earlier this year, Taiwan suspected a China-linked ship of damaging an undersea cable off its northern coast, a claim refuted by the ship’s owner.

As Taiwan continues to assert its sovereignty despite China’s claims, safeguarding undersea communication links has become a top priority. The island nation has drawn parallels between its experiences and the disruption of undersea cables in the Baltic Sea following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

With the investigation ongoing and tensions persisting, the case of the Chinese ship captain charged with damaging undersea cables remains a focal point in the complex relationship between Taiwan and China.

(Source: Reuters – Reporting by Ben Blanchard, Yimou Lee, and Jeanny Kao; Editing by Gerry Doyle)