Taiwan sued Chinese captain for damage to Untersekabeln

Taiwan sued Chinese captain for damage to Untersekabeln

Taipei, Reuters - Taiwan charged a Chinese captain for the first time on Friday for deliberate damage to Untersekabeln before the island in February. This indictment was made against the background of an increase in disorders of the submarine cable, which the Taiwanese authorities alerted in view of the tense relationships with China.

background of the indictment

The public prosecutor explains that the man is captain of the Chinese -occupied ship Hong Tai 58, which was registered in Togo, which is made by the Taiwanese authorities confiscated . The ship is suspected of dropping the anchor near a submarine cable in front of the southwest coast of Taiwan, which was damaged.

indictment against the captain

The public prosecutor in the southern city of Tainan announced that the Chinese captain, who was only identified under the surname Wang, was charged with the damage to the cable. Wang said that he was innocent, but refused information about the owner of the ship and showed "a bad attitude", said the public prosecutor in a statement.

consequences for other crew members

Seven other Chinese citizens who were arrested at the same time are not charged and are to be transferred to China, the prosecutors said. This represents the first criminal prosecution of Taiwan due to damage to sea cables. However, Reuters could not determine who is the owner of the ship or immediately find a lawyer for the captain.

Chinese reaction and outlook

The Taiwan Affairs Office in China did not immediately respond to an inquiry to comment. Previously, China Taiwan had accused of "manipulating" China's possible participation in the incident and making disparaging statements before the facts are clear.

disorders in Untersekabeln in Taiwan

This year Taiwan reported five cases of disorders to Untersekabeln compared to three in 2024 and 2023, according to the digital ministry. In the past few months, the Taiwanese coast guard has strengthened its efforts to protect the submarine cable and monitors a “black list” of almost 100 ships anchored in China that are registered in another country and are located near Taiwan.

similar incidents and regional tensions

Already in January Taiwan suspected that a Chinese ship could have damaged a submarine cable off the north coast; The owner of the ship denied the allegations. Taiwan, which is used by China as a own territory, repeatedly sued China's "gray zones" activities to target the island to put pressure on pressure without direct conflict, for example through balloon overfills and sand drilling work.

Protection of the communication infrastructure

Taipei showed itself alarmed after another Chinese connected ship was suspected of damaging another cable this year. As a result, Marine and other authorities increase their efforts to protect the Setsseecommunications connections, which are decisive for the connection of the island to the rest of the world. Taiwan, whose government rejects the sovereignty claims in Beijing, has found similarities between the incidents and damage to Untersekabeln in the Baltic Sea in connection with the Russian invasion in Ukraine.