Taiwan’s coast guard detained the crew of a Togolese-registered vessel suspected of cutting an undersea fiber optic cable connecting Taiwan and Penghu islands on Tuesday. The incident occurred when the ship, Hong Tai 168, was within 925 meters of the cable since Feb. 22.
A coast guard vessel was dispatched to the ship at 2:30 a.m., demanding it leave the area. Confirmation came that the Taiwan-Penghu No. 3 undersea cable had been cut at 3 a.m., prompting efforts to detain the Chinese crew. All eight crew members were later confirmed as Chinese nationals.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Digital Affairs reported no disruption to service following the incident, as communications were diverted to other cables. The coast guard classified the incident as “gray zone” activity by China, indicating hostile actions without an act of war.
The government of Taiwan will investigate this incident, which comes after a week of tension sparked by Chinese officials’ frustration with US President Donald Trump’s administration over its stance on Taiwan’s independence.
Source: https://www.foxnews.com/world/taiwan-coast-guard-detains-chinese-crewed-vessel-suspected-cutting-undersea-cable