TAIPEI/BEIJING (Reuters) – Taiwan and China traded barbs over what the government in Taipei suspects was a Chinese-linked ship’s damage to an undersea communications cable off the island’s coast, an incident that has raised alarm bells on the island.
The ship owner, speaking to Reuters on Wednesday, said there was no evidence the ship was involved. Taiwan’s coast guard suspects the ship damaged the cable off the island’s northern coast late last week, but was unable to board it to investigate due to bad weather.
The coast guard said it “cannot rule out the possibility” the ship, registered both in Cameroon and Tanzania but owned by a Hong Kong company, was engaged in “grey zone” activities. However, it has not provided any direct evidence of this.
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.
Late Wednesday, China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said damage to undersea cables are “common maritime accidents” and Taiwan was making accusations “out of thin air” and intentionally hyping up the “so-called grey zone threat from the mainland”.
Responding to that statement, Taiwan’s China-policy making Mainland Affairs Council said the case was being investigation and would proceed based on the evidence.
“Internationally, mainland Chinese ships flying flags of convenience have the mark of evil about them,” it said, pointing to investigations in Baltic states about Chinese ships suspected of damaging undersea cables there.
Taiwan has previously experienced damage to cables to the Kinmen and Matsu islands, the council said, referring to territories that sit right next to the Chinese coast but are controlled by Taiwan.
“Of course the government must be cautious in handling this,” it added.
China detests Taiwan President Lai Ching-te, calling him a “separatist” and has rebuffed his repeated calls for talks. Lai and his government reject Beijing’s sovereignty claims, saying only Taiwan’s people can decide their future.
(Reporting by Ben Blanchard and Ryan Woo; Editing by Michael Perry)
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