Latest news with #HongTai58
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
With Indo-Pacific undersea cables at risk, companies tout their tech
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — Taiwanese authorities this month charged the Chinese captain of the cargo vessel Hong Tai 58 for damaging an underwater communications cable connecting Taiwan to the Penghu Islands near the Chinese coast. The legal move is a reminder that sabotage of vital seabed cables, which is notoriously difficult to prove, has firmly entered the canon of gray-zone tactics meant to find weak spots in an adversary's defenses. Taiwan's coast guard had detained Hong Tai 58, a Togolese-flagged cargo vessel crewed by Chinese sailors, in late February. A similar incident occurred north of Taiwan in January, but on that occasion a Hong Kong-owned commercial vessel was fingered as the culprit. Taiwan has reported five cases of seabed cable damage this year already, compared with just three each in 2023 and 2024. Taiwan's coast guard has created a blacklist of nearly 100 suspicious China-linked ships. Despite Beijing's denials, some observers believe such nefarious actions are part of China's coercive behavior towards Taiwan. During a House Armed Services Committee hearing in Washington earlier this month, for example, U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) blasted China's 'reckless, coercive and aggressive activities,' singling out sabotage of undersea cables as a 'particularly alarming tactic.' At the same hearing, U.S. Navy Adm. Samuel Paparo, commander of Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM), acknowledged attempts to sabotage undersea internet cables, particularly around Taiwan. Wew weeks after Taiwan seized Hong Tai 58, media revealed that the state-owned China Ship Scientific Research Center had patented a deep-sea device 'capable of severing the world's most fortified underwater communication or power lines.' One of China's priorities in major hostilities against Taiwan – such as a naval blockade or full-blown invasion – would be to isolate the island and interfere with civilian and military communications. In his testimony to U.S. lawmakers, Paparo proposed two countermeasures against Chinese sabotage of cables. The first is to penetrate the targeting chain through intelligence gathering, and then showing up with forces 'in the locations where they would be otherwise cutting those cables.' Second, Paparo added, is resilience. This encompasses redundant communication networks to ensure the information environment continues unabated, as well as the proliferation of multiple satellite constellations in low Earth orbit. Meanwhile, naval tech companies are sensing a new market for their equipment. Andy Keough, managing director of Saab Australia, said the company is well positioned to support governments in defending underwater infrastructure through its countermine portfolio. 'Our products play a crucial role in mine countermeasure solutions as well as the protection of critical undersea infrastructure, including pipelines and subsea cables, across the globe,' Keough said. Autonomous underwater vehicles, or AUVs for short, can monitor infrastructure, and seabed sensors can provide real-time maritime domain awareness. Developing the ability to quickly repair infrastructure or reroute communications is also important. For example, Saab's electric Work-Class Remote Operated Vehicle can operate at depths of 5,500m and is controlled via satellite link. For inspections and repairs, the company's Sabertooth AUV can act as a persistent underwater resident with the aid of a subsea docking station, said Keough. Elsewhere, the company Exail won a French military contract to design an AUV that can dive as deep as 6,000m to counteract seabed warfare. To be delivered in 2027, these vehicles have the ability to reprogram themselves mid-mission. For example, if one detected something suspicious, it could move into observation mode to watch what a given target is doing. Thales Australia hopes to attract new customers with its sensing equipment. Gavin Henry, of the company's undersea warfare unit, said Thales' Blue Sentry technology, with its thin-line towed array, can help find potential threats. 'This system employs a network of sophisticated sensors capable of detecting and tracking both surface and underwater contacts,' he said. Ross Babbage, CEO of Strategic Forum in Australia, argues the undersea threat to key infrastructure requires a layered, whole-of-nation approach. 'In conjunction with automatic identification systems on ships, you can make sure people are following the correct channels and their prescribed route, because they're only going to do these things if they deviate from their normal route,' he said. 'So there are bell ringers there to then target an asset to go and have a look.' Nations like Australia need to conduct surveillance and look for anomalies, Babbage said. 'If you can do that, then you can pinpoint those anomalies and start to put the heat on them before they do it, or certainly capture them after they've done it, as they've done in Europe, and deal with it on a diplomatic basis.' An Australian Defense Department spokesperson told Defense News the military has a range of capabilities to monitor and respond to threats to undersea communication cables. The Australian Defence Force works with other agencies specializing in cybersecurity to protect infrastructure, though much of that information is classified.
Al Jazeera
11-04-2025
- Al Jazeera
Taiwan charges captain of China-linked ship with damaging subsea cable
Taiwanese prosecutors have formally charged the captain of a Chinese-crewed cargo ship that Taipei says severed one of its subsea cables earlier this year. The Togo-flagged Hong Tai 58 was detained by Taiwan's coastguard in February near the site of a cable breakdown amid allegations that it had deliberately dropped its anchor to cause damage. The ship's captain, who was only identified to the public by his surname Wang, was charged on Friday with being responsible for the incident, the prosecutors said. Seven Chinese nationals who were on board the ship will not be charged, and will be transported back to China, the prosecutors added. The case marks a first for Taiwan, where subsea cables have become the latest front in what is described as 'hybrid warfare' or 'grey zone activity' with China. The terms refer to low-grade coercive acts such as sabotage that hold a certain degree of plausible deniability. China has long claimed Taiwan, an island with a population of 23 million, as a province of the mainland and has threatened to annex it by force, if necessary. China has yet to reply to the charges against Wang, but it has previously accused Taipei of 'manipulating' the facts of the accident to cast Beijing in a bad light. Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for China's Taiwan Affairs Office, previously described the subsea cable incident as a 'common maritime accident'. Wang declined to provide Taiwanese authorities with information about the ship's ownership, according to prosecutors, but the Hong Tai 58 is believed to be a so-called Chinese 'dark ship' acting unofficially on behalf of Beijing. 'Dark ships' have earned their name due to the practice of broadcasting multiple or false identities to maritime authorities. Sometimes the vessels may turn off identification signals to avoid detection, according to industry experts. Since 2023, there have been at least 11 cases of subsea cable breakdowns around Taiwan, although some were later ruled as accidents or due to the old age of the equipment. Subsea cables are the backbone of the internet and global telecoms industry, but they are also susceptible to breakdowns from movements on the sea floor or human activity. Between 100 and 200 cable breakdowns occur each year, according to industry data, and proving damage as deliberate is notoriously difficult and a challenge for governments beyond Taipei. Countries around the Baltic Sea have also seen an uptick in subsea cable breakdowns since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and they have also struggled to bring legal cases against Chinese and Russia-linked ships and their owners.
The Guardian
11-04-2025
- The Guardian
Taiwan charges Chinese captain with damaging undersea cables
Prosecutors in Taiwan charged, for the first time, a Chinese ship captain with intentionally damaging undersea cables off the island in February, after a rise in sea cable malfunctions alarmed Taiwan officials amid tensions with China. Prosecutors say the man was captain of the Chinese-crewed Hong Tai 58, registered in Togo, which Taiwanese authorities detained after suspecting the ship had dropped anchor near an undersea cable off southwestern Taiwan, allegedly damaging it. The prosecutors' office in the southern Taiwanese city of Tainan said they had charged the ship's Chinese captain, whom they identified only by his family name, Wang, with being responsible for the alleged damage to the cable. Wang has said he is innocent, but refused to provide details of the ship's owner and 'had a bad attitude', the prosecutors alleged in a statement. Seven other Chinese nationals detained at the same time will not be charged and will be transported to China, prosecutors said, adding that the case was the island's first prosecution relating to damage to sea cables. Reuters was not able to determine the ship's ownership or immediately locate a lawyer representing the captain. China's Taiwan Affairs Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. China has previously accused Taiwan of 'manipulating' possible Chinese involvement in the case, saying it was casting aspersions before the facts were clear. Taiwan has reported five cases of sea cable malfunctions this year, compared with three each in 2024 and 2023, according to its digital ministry. Taiwan's coastguard has in recent months stepped up efforts to protect its sea cables, including monitoring a 'blacklist' of close to 100 China-linked ships registered to a country other than that of its owner near Taiwan, officials familiar with the matter told Reuters. Taiwan said in January it suspected a China-linked ship of damaging an undersea cable off its northern coast. The shipowner denied the accusations. Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory, has repeatedly complained about 'grey zone' Chinese activities around the island, designed to pressure it without direct confrontation, such as balloon overflights and sand dredging. Taipei was alarmed after another Chinese-linked ship was suspected of damaging a different cable this year, prompting the navy and other agencies to step up efforts to protect the undersea communication links, which are vital to the island's connections to the rest of the world. Taiwan, whose government rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims, has pointed to similarities between what it has experienced and damage to undersea cables in the Baltic Sea following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
CNN
11-04-2025
- CNN
Taiwan charges Chinese ship captain with damaging deep-sea cables in unprecedented move
Taiwan prosecutors on Friday for the first time charged a Chinese ship captain with intentionally damaging undersea cables off the island in February, after a rise in sea cable malfunctions alarmed Taiwan officials amid tensions with China. Prosecutors say the man was captain of the Chinese-crewed Hong Tai 58, registered in Togo, which Taiwanese authorities detained after suspecting the ship had dropped anchor near an undersea cable off southwestern Taiwan, damaging it. The prosecutors' office in the southern Taiwanese city of Tainan said they had charged the ship's Chinese captain, whom they identified only by his family name, Wang, with being responsible for damaging the cable. Wang has said he is innocent, but refused to provide details of the ship's owner and 'had a bad attitude', the prosecutors said in a statement. Seven other Chinese nationals detained at the same time will not be charged and will be transported to China, prosecutors said, adding that the case was the island's first prosecution over damaging sea cables. Reuters was not able to determine the ship's ownership or immediately locate a lawyer representing the captain. China's Taiwan Affairs Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. China has previously accused Taiwan of 'manipulating' possible Chinese involvement in the case, saying it was casting aspersions before the facts were clear. Taiwan has reported five cases of sea cable malfunctions this year, compared with three each in 2024 and 2023, according to its digital ministry. Taiwan's coast guard has in recent months stepped up efforts to protect its sea cables, including monitoring a 'blacklist' of close to 100 China-linked ships registered to a country other than that of its owner near Taiwan, officials familiar with the matter told Reuters. Taiwan said in January it suspected a China-linked ship of damaging an undersea cable off its northern coast; the ship owner denied the accusations. Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory, has repeatedly complained about 'grey zone' Chinese activities around the island, designed to pressure it without direct confrontation, such as balloon overflights and sand dredging. Taipei was alarmed after another Chinese-linked ship was suspected of damaging a different cable this year, prompting the navy and other agencies to step up efforts to protect the undersea communication links, which are vital to the island's connections to the rest of the world. Taiwan, whose government rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims, has pointed to similarities between what it has experienced and damage to undersea cables in the Baltic Sea following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Japan Times
11-04-2025
- Japan Times
In a first, Taiwan charges Chinese ship captain with damaging undersea cables
Taiwanese prosecutors on Friday for the first time charged a Chinese ship captain with intentionally damaging undersea cables off the island in February, after a rise in sea cable malfunctions alarmed Taiwan officials amid tensions with China. Prosecutors say the man was captain of the Chinese-crewed Hong Tai 58, registered in Togo, which Taiwanese authorities detained after suspecting the ship had dropped anchor near an undersea cable off southwestern Taiwan, damaging it. The prosecutors' office in the southern Taiwanese city of Tainan said they had charged the ship's Chinese captain, whom they identified only by his family name, Wang, with being responsible for damaging the cable. Wang has said he is innocent, but refused to provide details of the ship's owner and "had a bad attitude," the prosecutors said in a statement. Seven other Chinese nationals detained at the same time will not be charged and will be transported to China, prosecutors said, adding that the case was the island's first prosecution over the damaging of sea cables. The ship's ownership could not be determined and a lawyer representing the captain could not be immediately located. China's Taiwan Affairs Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. China has previously accused Taiwan of "manipulating" possible Chinese involvement in the case, saying it was casting aspersions before the facts were clear. Taiwan has reported five cases of sea cable malfunctions this year, compared with three each in 2024 and 2023, according to its digital ministry. Taiwan's coast guard has in recent months stepped up efforts to protect its sea cables, including monitoring a "blacklist" of close to 100 China-linked ships registered to a country other than that of its owner near Taiwan, officials familiar with the matter said. Taiwan said in January it suspected a China-linked ship of damaging an undersea cable off its northern coast; the ship owner denied the accusations. Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory, has repeatedly complained about "gray zone" Chinese activities around the island, designed to pressure it without direct confrontation, such as balloon overflights and sand dredging. Taipei was alarmed after another Chinese-linked ship was suspected of damaging a different cable this year, prompting the navy and other agencies to step up efforts to protect the undersea communication links, which are vital to the island's connections to the rest of the world. Taiwan, whose government rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims, has pointed to similarities between what it has experienced and damage to undersea cables in the Baltic Sea following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
