Pressure on Taiwan continues, with Beijing seeking to normalize China’s presence in surrounding waters and airspace, indicates report.
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Hovering over these submarine cables is a clear sign of intelligence gathering, according to Windward, a maritime analysis platform that responded to Newsweek’s questions about the Chinese research vessel’s behavior. The particular cable under its bows was the 8,000-mile Pacific Light Cable Network (PLCN) fiber-optic system. This high-speed cable connects Taiwan and the U.S., as well as the Philippines. Interestingly, the same cable was going to connect Hong Kong, but was rerouted because of American fears over Chinese snooping.
While research vessels like the one warned to change direction by Taiwan’s Coast Guard in the video are sometimes described as ‘civilian,’ Beijing’s military-civil fusion policy blurs the distinction. Moreover, this 200-ft Chinese ship has something of a history in disputed waters. Newsweek says the same vessel has been observed around the Paracel Islands (claimed by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam) and the Spratly Islands (claimed by China, Taiwan, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei).
Focusing back on the concerns about internet cable espionage, or even sabotage, Chinese-flagged vessels have been noted for such behaviour before. “Chinese-flagged vessels have been linked to several cable incidents in recent years,” notes Newsweek. Furthermore, incidents aren’t confined to East Asia, with “suspected sabotage in the Baltic Sea and damage to cables around Taiwan.”
China and Taiwan remains a flashpoint on the geopolitical stage, heightened by the island's outsized role in the global technology and semiconductor market, owing primarily to the success of TSMC. Undersea cables have also grown in recent years to become a vital point of infrastructure for nations, and a source of potential weakness against acts of sabotage.
Finland deploys new system to detect threats to undersea cables
Key considerations
- Investor positioning can change fast
- Volatility remains possible near catalysts
- Macro rates and liquidity can dominate flows
Reference reading
- https://www.tomshardware.com/networking/SPONSORED_LINK_URL
- https://www.tomshardware.com/networking/chinese-ship-spotted-lurking-over-taiwan-us-undersea-cables-research-vessel-seen-loitering-above-the-8-000-mile-pacific-light-cable-network-fiber-optic-system#main
- https://www.tomshardware.com/membership
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Informational only. No financial advice. Do your own research.