Taiwan Charges Chinese Captain in Undersea Cable Sabotage Case

Taiwan has charged a Chinese ship captain with the deliberate sabotage of an undersea internet cable—marking a legal first for the island amid growing maritime tensions with China. As Taiwan ramps up defenses against gray-zone tactics, the case underscores rising geopolitical friction beneath the surface.

In a first-of-its-kind legal move, Taiwan has charged the Chinese captain of a foreign-registered ship with intentionally damaging a critical undersea communications cable, marking a significant escalation in the island’s efforts to counter what it describes as a growing wave of gray-zone maritime provocations from China.

The indictment, announced by prosecutors in the southern city of Tainan, centers on an incident in February involving the Hong Tai 58, a vessel registered under the flag of Togo but crewed primarily by Chinese nationals. Taiwanese authorities detained the ship after it was suspected of anchoring dangerously close to a subsea cable off the island’s southwestern coast. The cable, essential to Taiwan’s internet connectivity and international communications, was found damaged shortly after the ship’s presence in the area.

Prosecutors have identified the captain only by his surname, Wang, and allege that he is directly responsible for the cable damage. According to their statement, Wang has denied any wrongdoing but refused to provide information about the ship’s ownership. Authorities also noted that he displayed a “bad attitude” during questioning, a detail they say hindered the investigation. Seven other Chinese nationals detained at the same time will not face charges and are set to be repatriated to China. This marks the first time Taiwan has pursued criminal charges over the sabotage of a sea cable.

While the case appears to be localized, it fits into a larger pattern that has Taiwanese officials increasingly alarmed. This year alone, the island has reported five incidents of undersea cable malfunctions—nearly double the number of similar incidents in each of the past two years. Although some of these events might be attributed to accidents or routine maritime activity, Taiwan’s digital ministry has expressed growing concern over the frequency and apparent intent behind the damages.

Much of that concern stems from what officials describe as a surge in activity from so-called “flag-of-convenience” vessels—ships registered in third countries but believed to be operated or owned by Chinese entities. The Hong Tai 58 is reportedly one of nearly 100 such vessels that Taiwan’s coast guard has begun monitoring under a newly established internal blacklist. These ships, authorities say, often linger suspiciously near key infrastructure points and exhibit behavior inconsistent with standard shipping routes or fishing patterns.

This rising maritime activity dovetails with broader concerns about China’s use of non-military pressure tactics around the island. Over the past year, Taiwan has documented numerous “gray-zone” activities by Chinese forces, including aerial incursions by surveillance balloons, aggressive sand dredging near outlying islands, and more frequent naval maneuvers near its territorial waters. Just last week, Taiwan’s defense ministry reported that 21 Chinese military aircraft and multiple warships were engaged in a joint combat readiness drill near the island—part of what has become a regular display of force.

The undersea cables at the heart of the latest legal case are no minor targets. These cables form the unseen backbone of Taiwan’s digital economy, carrying nearly all of its international internet traffic. Damage to even a single line can trigger widespread disruptions, impact banking systems, and slow cross-border communications to a crawl. For an island increasingly reliant on high-tech industries and digital trade, these vulnerabilities pose serious economic and national security concerns.

Taiwan’s alarm over the cable sabotage is not occurring in isolation. Officials have drawn parallels between these incidents and recent cases in the Baltic Sea, where undersea infrastructure was mysteriously damaged following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. While no conclusive evidence has been publicly presented linking the Baltic events to sabotage, the similarities have raised red flags in Taipei, prompting the government to bolster naval patrols and deploy advanced monitoring systems near key subsea cable landing sites.

In pressing charges against Captain Wang, Taiwan is making a statement that goes beyond maritime law. The move underscores the island’s intent to defend its sovereignty and infrastructure through legal as well as military means. It also serves as a warning to foreign operators—particularly those with opaque ownership structures—that Taiwan is prepared to act when its interests are directly threatened.

The response from Beijing has been predictably dismissive. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office has accused Taipei of “manipulating” the situation and casting aspersions before the facts are fully known. It has not offered a detailed response to the allegations against the Hong Tai 58 or provided information on the vessel’s ownership, which remains a mystery even to international maritime trackers.

As Taiwan continues to navigate the dangerous waters of cross-Strait tension, the case of the damaged cable is likely to become a legal and political benchmark. It may also influence how other vulnerable democracies respond to covert threats against their digital infrastructure. For Taiwan, this prosecution represents not just an assertion of justice, but a broader signal to the world that beneath the surface, a quiet battle for sovereignty is already underway.