In a first, Taiwan charges Chinese ship captain with damaging undersea cables

By Yimou Lee and Ben Blanchard

TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan prosecutors connected Friday for the archetypal clip charged a Chinese vessel skipper with intentionally damaging undersea cables disconnected the land successful February, aft a emergence successful oversea cablegram malfunctions alarmed Taiwan officials amid tensions with China.

Prosecutors accidental the antheral was skipper of the Chinese-crewed Hong Tai 58, registered successful Togo, which Taiwanese authorities detained aft suspecting the vessel had dropped anchor adjacent an undersea cablegram disconnected southwestern Taiwan, damaging it.

The prosecutors' bureau successful the confederate Taiwanese metropolis of Tainan said they had charged the ship's Chinese captain, whom they identified lone by his household name, Wang, with being liable for damaging the cable.

Wang has said helium is innocent, but refused to supply details of the ship's proprietor and "had a atrocious attitude", the prosecutors said successful a statement.

Seven different Chinese nationals detained astatine the aforesaid clip volition not beryllium charged and volition beryllium transported to China, prosecutors said, adding that the lawsuit was the island's archetypal prosecution implicit damaging oversea cables.

Reuters was not capable to find the ship's ownership oregon instantly find a lawyer representing the captain.

China's Taiwan Affairs Office did not instantly respond to a petition for comment. China has antecedently accused Taiwan of "manipulating" imaginable Chinese engagement successful the case, saying it was casting aspersions earlier the facts were clear.

Taiwan has reported 5 cases of oversea cablegram malfunctions this year, compared with 3 each successful 2024 and 2023, according to its integer ministry.

Taiwan's seashore defender has successful caller months stepped up efforts to support its oversea cables, including monitoring a "blacklist" of adjacent to 100 China-linked ships registered to a state different than that of its proprietor adjacent Taiwan, officials acquainted with the substance told Reuters.

Taiwan said successful January it suspected a China-linked vessel of damaging an undersea cablegram disconnected its bluish coast; the vessel proprietor denied the accusations.

Taiwan, which China claims arsenic its ain territory, has repeatedly complained astir "grey zone" Chinese activities astir the island, designed to unit it without nonstop confrontation, specified arsenic balloon overflights and soil dredging.

Taipei was alarmed aft different Chinese-linked vessel was suspected of damaging a antithetic cablegram this year, prompting the navy and different agencies to measurement up efforts to support the undersea connection links, which are captious to the island's connections to the remainder of the world.

Taiwan, whose authorities rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims, has pointed to similarities betwixt what it has experienced and harm to undersea cables successful the Baltic Sea pursuing Russia's penetration of Ukraine.

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard, Yimou Lee and Jeanny Kao; Editing by Gerry Doyle)