French Media Intelligence Online Reports on Taiwan’s Undersea Cable Security Efforts, Cites Analysis from DSET

Intelligence Online recently published a report titled “Taipei bolsters undersea cable security after Chinese sabotage,” detailing how Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan is advancing legal amendments in response to suspected Chinese sabotage of critical undersea cable infrastructure. The article cites commentary from Ta-Chen Chen, Non-Resident Fellow at DSET, as well as findings from DSET’s National Security report, “Undercurrents: The Limits and Prospects of Taiwan’s Undersea Cable Security.”

Intelligence Online is a leading French investigative publication founded in 1980, specializing in intelligence, national security, and strategic technologies. Its reporting is widely followed by policymakers and security analysts around the world.

According to the report, Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan has recently reached rare bipartisan consensus to amend seven separate laws aimed at strengthening penalties and enforcement mechanisms against undersea cable sabotage. Lawmakers from both major parties expressed confidence that these amendments could be passed by the end of the year. The article also recounts several severe incidents in recent years: in 2020, four suspicious cable breaks occurred within months on the lines linking Matsu’s Juguang Township, with the acts attributed to illegal Chinese dredgers operating in Taiwanese waters. In February 2023, two cables connecting Matsu to Taiwan’s main island were cut by Chinese vessels within six days.

Two incidents earlier this year accelerated reform efforts. In January, the Cameroon-flagged Chinese cargo vessel Shun Xing 39 damaged a cable north of Taiwan’s main island. Although the Coast Guard approached the vessel, interagency disputes prevented its escort to Keelung Port, and the vessel subsequently sailed to South Korea before switching off its AIS transponder and disappearing. At a legislative hearing, Deputy Minister of the Mainland Affairs Council Shen Yu-chung stated that Taiwan’s preliminary assessment indicated the case constituted an act of “sabotage” by the PRC.

In February, another Chinese vessel, the Togo-flagged Hong Tai 58, was intercepted and escorted to Anping Port. The captain received a three-year prison sentence from a Tainan court; however, prosecutors were unable to prove that the crew acted under PRC orders, preventing the application of more severe national-security charges. The failed handling of the Shun Xing 39 case and the legal complexities surrounding Hong Tai 58 prompted Taiwan’s executive agencies to take further action.

In the report, DSET Non-Resident Fellow Ta-Chen Chen notes that DSET’s policy report documents a sharp rise in cable damage incidents around Taiwan. While only four cases were recorded in 2022, the number rose to twelve in 2023. Chen emphasized that “the information is already too public to hide; if the government does not intervene, public panic will spread.”

The article also highlights that the undersea cables landing at Toucheng on Taiwan’s east coast—linking the island to trans-Pacific infrastructure—are far harder for China to reach, and that cutting all Taiwan’s cables would amount to a “prelude to war.” According to Intelligence Online, the current amendments under review would increase penalties for damaging energy cables and for negligent acts, create a legal obligation for vessels to keep AIS activated, and allow for the confiscation of ships and equipment. On October 30, the Legislative Yuan further instructed the government to publish updated maps of undersea cables and pipelines to encourage safer navigation in high-risk zones.

The report cites an unnamed legislator involved in the issue, noting that the Coast Guard Administration is seeking to deploy fast drones to quickly locate and track suspicious vessels. Taiwan’s cable operators—including Chunghwa Telecom—are also looking to next-generation “smart cables” equipped with acoustic sensors to improve early-warning systems and detect vessels approaching cable routes.

While domestic reforms are under way, Intelligence Online underscores the limits of unilateral measures, noting that the rise of flags of convenience mirrors challenges seen recently in the Baltic region. Taiwanese officials are currently gathering data on suspicious vessels, maritime militia fishing boats, flag-of-convenience ships, and cargo vessels participating in military exercises near Taiwan’s maritime infrastructure.