Taiwan Seeks SOS from Seoul: Desperate for Help with Knifed Subsea Connection

**Taiwan Seeks International Help to Investigate Chinese Ship Suspected of Damaging Undersea Cable**

Taiwan has requested assistance from South Korea to investigate a Chinese ship suspected of cutting a critical undersea communications cable off its northern coast. The incident has raised concerns about China’s increasing willingness to engage in acts of sabotage and the vulnerability of maritime infrastructure.

On January 3, a cargo ship called the Shun Hing 39 was spotted near the port of Keelung on Taiwan’s north coast, where a telecommunications cable was cut. The damaged cable, part of the trans-Pacific high-speed cable system, was owned by an international consortium including Chunghwa Telecom, AT&T, NTT, Korea Telecom, China Telecom, and China Unicom.

Taiwanese authorities have collected tracking data from the ship’s automatic identification system signals and satellite data, which shows that the Shun Hing 39 was towing its anchor at the location where the cable was damaged. The Coast Guard was unable to board the vessel due to bad weather, but officials believe that it will arrive in Busan in the coming days.

The Shun Hing 39 is registered in Cameroon, but Taiwanese officials say it is owned by a Hong Kong-registered company, Jieyang Trading Co., Ltd., with a sole director, Mainland Chinese citizen Guo Wenjie.

“This is another example of a veryiry worng global trend of sabotaging undersea cables,” a senior national security official in Taiwan said. “The ships involved in these incidents are usually dilapidated vessels with little public business. This one is also in very bad condition, similar to a Russian ‘Shadow Fleet’ ship.”

The incident has sparked concerns about China’s increased willingness to engage in acts of sabotage and the vulnerability of maritime infrastructure. Taiwan worries that China may secretly cut off its external communications links to implement any potential attempts to annex the island. Beijing claims sovereignty over Taiwan and has threatened to seize it by force if necessary.

Despite the incident, Chunghwa Telecom said that data connectivity was restored immediately by rerouting data to other international submarine cables. However, the incident has raised concerns about the resilience of Taiwan’s critical infrastructure.

**Background**

Undersea cables are critical for global communication and energy infrastructure. They transmit vast amounts of data, including internet traffic, financial transactions, and energy supplies. Sabotaging these cables can have significant economic and security implications.

In recent years, there have been several incidents of undersea cable sabotage, including the cutting of fiber optic cables in the Baltic Sea last November and damage to natural gas pipelines and cables in October 2023. These incidents have raised concerns about the vulnerability of critical infrastructure and the ability to prosecute acts of sabotage.

**International Response**

Taiwan has requested assistance from South Korea to investigate the Shun Hing 39 and gather evidence of the incident. The South Korean authorities have agreed to assist in the investigation.

**Q & A**

**Q: What is the significance of the damaged undersea cable?**
A: The damaged cable is part of the trans-Pacific high-speed cable system, which connects Taiwan to the US West Coast and provides critical communications and energy infrastructure.

**Q: Who owns the Shun Hing 39?**
A: The Shun Hing 39 is owned by Jieyang Trading Co., Ltd., a Hong Kong-registered company with a sole director, Mainland Chinese citizen Guo Wenjie.

**Q: What is the condition of the Shun Hing 39?**
A: The Shun Hing 39 is in very bad condition, similar to a Russian ‘Shadow Fleet’ ship.

**Q: What is the significance of the incident?**
A: The incident highlights the vulnerability of critical maritime infrastructure and the difficulty of prosecuting acts of sabotage.

**Q: What is Taiwan’s response to the incident?**
A: Taiwan has requested assistance from South Korea to investigate the incident and gather evidence.

**Q: What is China’s response to the incident?**
A: China’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

**FAQ Page (JSON-LD)**

“`json
{
“@context”: “https://schema.org”,
“@type”: “FAQPage”,
“name”: “Taiwan Seeks International Help to Investigate Chinese Ship Suspected of Damaging Undersea Cable”,
“mainEntity”: [
{
“@type”: “QAPage”,
“acceptedAnswer”: {
“@type”: “Question”,
“name”: “What is the significance of the damaged undersea cable?”
},
“acceptedAnswer”: {
“@type”: “Answer”,
“text”: “The damaged cable is part of the trans-Pacific high-speed cable system, which connects Taiwan to the US West Coast and provides critical communications and energy infrastructure.”
}
},
{
“@type”: “QAPage”,
“acceptedAnswer”: {
“@type”: “Question”,
“name”: “Who owns the Shun Hing 39?”
},
“acceptedAnswer”: {
“@type”: “Answer”,
“text”: “The Shun Hing 39 is owned by Jieyang Trading Co., Ltd., a Hong Kong-registered company with a sole director, Mainland Chinese citizen Guo Wenjie.”
}
},
{
“@type”: “QAPage”,
“acceptedAnswer”: {
“@type”: “Question”,
“name”: “What is the condition of the Shun Hing 39?”
},
“acceptedAnswer”: {
“@type”: “Answer”,
“text”: “The Shun Hing 39 is in very bad condition, similar to a Russian ‘Shadow Fleet’ ship.”
}
},
{
“@type”: “QAPage”,
“acceptedAnswer”: {
“@type”: “Question”,
“name”: “What is the significance of the incident?”
},
“acceptedAnswer”: {
“@type”: “Answer”,
“text”: “The incident highlights the vulnerability of critical maritime infrastructure and the difficulty of prosecuting acts of sabotage.”
}
},
{
“@type”: “QAPage”,
“acceptedAnswer”: {
“@type”: “Question”,
“name”: “What is Taiwan’s response to the incident?”
},
“acceptedAnswer”: {
“@type”: “Answer”,
“text”: “Taiwan has requested assistance from South Korea to investigate the incident and gather evidence.”
}
},
{
“@type”: “QAPage”,
“acceptedAnswer”: {
“@type”: “Question”,
“name”: “What is China’s response to the incident?”
},
“acceptedAnswer”: {
“@type”: “Answer”,
“text”: “China’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.”
}
}
] }
“`

**Conclusion**

The incident highlights the vulnerability of critical maritime infrastructure and the difficulty of prosecuting acts of sabotage. Taiwan’s request for international assistance to investigate the incident is a clear indication of the importance of cooperation in addressing such incidents. The international community must work together to prevent and prosecute acts of sabotage that can have significant economic and security implications.