Taiwan's coast guard detained the Chinese crew of a Togolese-flagged vessel on Tuesday after an undersea communications cable linking Taiwan and its offshore Penghu islands was severed. The incident has heightened concerns over potential "gray zone" activity by China, a term used to describe hostile actions that fall short of direct military conflict.
The vessel, identified as Hong Tai 168, had been loitering within approximately 925 meters of the Taiwan-Penghu No. 3 fiber optic cable since February 22, according to Taiwan's coast guard (CGA). A patrol vessel was dispatched to intercept the ship at 2:30 a.m. on Tuesday, ordering it to leave the area. Less than an hour later, Taiwan's Ministry of Digital Affairs confirmed that the cable had been cut, prompting authorities to move swiftly to detain the crew.
The CGA reported that all eight crew members aboard the ship were Chinese nationals. In a statement, the coast guard said it was investigating whether the cable break was accidental or an act of deliberate interference but did not rule out the possibility of "gray zone" activity.
The Hong Tai 168 was intercepted and escorted to Anping port by Taiwanese authorities after failing to respond to multiple communication attempts via speaker and radio. Footage released by the coast guard showed officers boarding the vessel, which had dropped anchor near the severed cable before it began moving northward.
Taiwan's Chunghwa Telecom, which operates the cable, said service was not disrupted as communications were rerouted to backup infrastructure. However, the company confirmed that this is the latest in a string of undersea cable disruptions around Taiwan. In January, a Cameroon-registered vessel, Shunxing 39, was investigated for damaging a separate cable linking Taiwan to the United States.
Taiwanese authorities have identified more than 50 vessels, many registered under flags of convenience such as Togo, but suspected of being operated by Chinese companies. These ships have reportedly lingered in or near Taiwan's territorial waters for extended periods, raising concerns over espionage and covert operations.
The timing of the incident adds to mounting tensions in the Taiwan Strait, coming just days after Beijing criticized the Trump administration for altering U.S. State Department language regarding Taiwan's independence. Earlier this month, references to Washington's longstanding position of not supporting Taiwan's independence were quietly removed from the department's website.
Chinese officials called on the U.S. to "immediately correct its wrongdoing," arguing that the change "sends a wrong signal to the Taiwan independence forces." The State Department, however, insisted that U.S. policy on Taiwan had not changed.
Taiwan's coast guard has faced similar incidents in the past. In February 2023, two undersea cables near Taiwan's outlying Matsu islands-closer to China's mainland-were severed in separate incidents one week apart, cutting off internet access for local residents. Taiwan accused two Chinese ships of causing the damage but stopped short of labeling the incidents as deliberate acts by Beijing.
