Taiwan suspects Chinese ships cut internet cables to islands: ‘We can’t rule out that it was intentional’ | outside

For their internet connection, residents of Taiwan’s Matsu Islands rely on two undersea cables that lead to the main island of Taiwan. The cables were cut in early February. According to NCC, this is the work of two Chinese ships. According to them, the first ship was killed on February 2 by a Chinese trawler about 50 kilometers from the island. Six days later, a Chinese cargo ship cut the second cable, NCC reported.

However, the Taiwan government does not describe the incident as a deliberate act on the part of Beijing, as there is no direct evidence of the responsibility of the Chinese ships.

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Meanwhile, the islanders use a limited internet connection that uses microwaves. However, this means that it can take hours to send a message and it becomes impossible to watch videos. Limited internet connectivity not only disrupts the daily lives of residents. It could also have massive national security ramifications.

In the war with Ukraine, Russia is firmly committed to shutting down the internet in its strategy. For example, Russian missile attacks regularly target Ukraine’s communications and energy infrastructure. So some experts suspect that China deliberately cut the cables as part of its harassment of the de facto independent island of Taiwan. However, China considers it part of its territory.

“We can’t rule out that China deliberately destroyed it,” said Su Tzu-yun, a defense expert at the State Research Institute of National Defense and Security Research. According to a study by the think tank, only China and Russia have the technical capabilities to do so.

The internet cables, which are between 20 and 30 mm wide, are covered with steel armor in shallow waters because there is more chance of ships approaching. However, despite the protection, the cables can be cut quite easily by ships and their moorings, or by fishing boats with steel nets.

said Jeff Huston, chief scientist at the Asia Pacific Network Information Center, a nonprofit organization that provides Internet resources such as IP addresses for area management and distribution.

Expensive cable repairs. The ship repair work alone will cost about NT$30 million (€897,066), according to preliminary estimates. “Chinese ships that damaged cables should be held accountable and compensated for the expensive repairs,” said Wen Liye, head of the Matsu branch of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party.

China’s Taiwan Affairs Office did not respond to a request for comment from the Associated Press.