Summary

Taiwan’s coastguard detained a Togolese-flagged cargo ship with a Chinese crew after an undersea communications cable connecting Taiwan to Penghu was cut.

Authorities suspect a possible “grey zone” act—hostile interference short of warfare—by China but have not ruled out an accident.

The ship, which initially ignored radio contact, was intercepted and escorted to port. Taiwan has been monitoring Chinese-linked vessels under flags of convenience due to previous cable damage incidents.

Chunghwa Telecom activated a backup cable, preventing communication disruptions.