The Taiwanese Coast Guard (CGA) detained the Chinese crew of a Togo-registered vessel on Tuesday, suspecting that it had disconnected the submarine optical cable connecting Taiwan with the island of Peng on Tuesday.
According to the CGA, Hong Tai 168 was lodging within about 925 meters of cable from 7pm local time on February 22nd. A Coast Guard ship was sent to the ship at 2:30am on Tuesday, and the ship will leave the area, according to Taiwan’s state-owned media.
Coast Guard officials confirmed that Taiwan Peng No. 3’s submarine cable had been cut off at 3am on Tuesday and began an effort to detain the ship’s Chinese crew. All eight crew members were Chinese nationals, according to the Coast Guard.
Taiwan’s Digital Affairs Ministry confirmed that communications had been diverted to other cables after the incident and there was no disruption to the service.
Taiwan FM welcomes the importance of our relationship, and the group visit says “contributes to peace and stability.”
The two Taiwan Coast Guard personnel committees will carry Togo Formation cargo ships to conduct inspections on February 25, 2025. (Taiwan Coast Guard / Handouts /Anadoru via Getty Images)
The Coast Guard classified the incident as a potential “gray zone” activity by China. The term refers to hostile actions that do not correspond to acts of war.
The Taiwanese government has said it will investigate the incident.
The incident comes a week after Chinese officials expressed dissatisfaction with President Donald Trump’s administration after removing the language on the State Department website, opposing Taiwan’s independence.
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Before Trump took office, the State Department’s fact sheet on its relationship with the US with Taiwan previously said it “does not support Taiwan’s independence,” but the phrase was removed earlier this month and existed. I’m continuing to do so. Chinese officials on Sunday called on the US to “immediately fix the fraud,” claiming that they would “send the wrong signal to Taiwan’s independent forces.”
In a statement to NBC News, the State Department said the US stance on Taiwan’s independence has not changed.
Taiwan’s Coast Guard said Tuesday’s incident could be a “gray zone” action by China. (Taiwan Coast Guard / Handouts /Anadoru via Getty Images)
For a long time, the United States has developed a sensitive attitude about Taiwan’s relationship with mainland China. It has been following the “one China” policy for decades, with the US acknowledging Beijing as China’s sole government and not affirming Beijing’s claims to control Taiwan.
Part of this understanding requires that the US do not have formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan. This is a policy reflected in the lack of a US embassy on the island.
Nevertheless, the US funded Taiwan’s defense and worked with western countries to prevent mainland China from taking over. Chinese President Xi Jinping has repeatedly stated that he is open to using military force to conquer the island.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping has repeatedly said that he will not rule out China’s forced conquest of Taiwan. (Getty)
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Taiwan, which has a democratically elected government, claims it is its own independent country. Taiwan became the first self-governed island after the loss of civil war in 1949 to Mao Zedong and his Chinese Communist Party, and then in 1949 democratic forces fled there.
