TAIPEI, Taiwan — Submarine communication cables are critical for modern life: for security, economic prosperity and connecting people.
Experts warn that the cables serving Taiwan and its high-tech economy are vulnerable not just to wear-and-tear and accidents, but sabotage.
In early 2025, a Chinese cargo ship was suspected of damaging the submarine cables between Taiwan and its outlying Penghu islands in the Taiwan Strait.
That incident highlighted the risks facing self-ruling Taiwan, which China claims as part of its territory, from so-called “gray-zone” activities – acts of aggression against an adversary that fall short of being acts of war.
Radio Free Asia interviewed Huang Shengxiong, chairman of the Taiwan Internet Information Center, about the potential impact if China damages Taiwan’s submarine cables.
