Beijing Reveals Cable-Cutting Tech to Rattle Taiwan, Say Analysts

In recent years, Chinese cargo ships have been linked to multiple damaged underwater cables worldwide.

The Chinese ship, the bulk carrier Yi Peng 3 (right) is anchored and monitored by a Danish naval patrol vessels in the sea of Kattegat, near Jutland, Denmark, on Nov. 20, 2024. Mikkel Berg Pedersen/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images

A recent public revelation of Chinese cable-cutting technology capable of disrupting global communications has raised concerns among military experts in Taiwan.

The China Ship Science Research Center (CSSRC) and its affiliated State Key Laboratory of Deep-Sea Manned Vehicles have developed a deep-sea cable-cutting device that targets armored cables, which support 95 percent of global data transmission, according to a March 22 report by South China Morning Post (SCMP), a Hong Kong-based English-language newspaper.

Based on a paper published in the Chinese-language journal Mechanical Engineer on Feb. 24, cited by SCMP, this deep-sea cable-cutting asset can operate at depths of up to 4,000 meters, twice the operational range of existing subsea communication infrastructure.

The SCMP reported that “the revelation marks the first time any country has officially disclosed that it has such an asset, capable of disrupting critical undersea networks.”

The Chinese regime’s developing cable-cutting technology has raised concerns about its threat to global communication networks and maritime security. In recent years, several incidents of underwater cables being damaged across the globe have been linked to Beijing, with Chinese cargo ships implicated multiple times.

In October 2023, NewnewPolar Bear, a Chinese container ship flying the Hong Kong flag, damaged a natural gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia. Finnish and Estonian authorities have yet to clarify whether they consider the incident intentional or accidental.

In November 2024, two telecommunications cables connecting Sweden and Denmark in the Baltic Sea were severed. A Chinese bulk carrier, Yi Peng 3, which had passed through the area where the cables were cut, has been wanted by Swedish authorities, yet Beijing refused to give full access to the vessel.

In January, Shunxin-39, a cargo ship owned by a Hong Kong-based company but registered in Cameroon and Tanzania, is believed to have damaged one of the 14 cables linking Taiwan to mainland Asia.

On Feb. 25, Taiwan detained the Hong Tai 58, a cargo ship with Chinese financial backing, suspected of severing the self-ruled island’s undersea cable.

Maps indicating where cables were damaged in the Baltic Sea and near Taiwan by vessels linked to the Chinese communist regime. Illustration by The Epoch Times, Shutterstock

Maximizing Pressure on Taiwan

The Chinese regime has long had this type of technology, Wang Hsiu-Wen, an assistant researcher at Taiwan’s Institute for National Defense and Security Research, told The Epoch Times.

According to Wang’s analysis, in previous cases of cable damage, it cannot be ruled out the possibility that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) deliberately severed the cables to allow Chinese cable companies to secure contracts or even as an act of retaliation against democratic countries for not adopting Huawei’s communication equipment.

This time the CCP is showcasing its ability to cut underwater cables, highlighting its advancements in deep-sea technology and influencing Taiwanese public sentiment and morale, she said.

Wang said that this poses a significant security threat to global communications, particularly to Taiwan’s critical infrastructure.

While advanced technology is mainly developed to improve human welfare and rarely disrupts the convenience of human life, the CCP is actually engaging in the “malicious application” of advanced technology, Wang said.

Instead of using the technology for rescue operations or underwater development, the Chinese regime uses it to target other countries’ cables, Wang said. She noted that China has similarly equipped satellites with robotic arms—not to collect space debris, but to capture other countries’ satellites in orbit.

Regarding Taiwan, Wang said, the CCP has been using civilian ships to carry out “gray zone operations” by cutting Taiwan’s communication infrastructure. If caught in the act, they claim it was an accident, or they might intentionally provoke cross-strait conflict with civilian ships, knowing that Taiwan would be reluctant to respond forcefully to Chinese civilian vessels, she said.

Chih-Tung Chung, another assistant researcher at the National Defense and Security Research Institute, concurred that it is an application of gray zone conflict aimed at applying maximum pressure on Taiwan.

He told The Epoch Times that the recent revelation of Chinese cable-cutting technology made it clear that the Chinese regime, known for its strict censorship, wants to publicize the potential harm it could cause Taiwan.

CCP Could Be Seen as Public Enemy

Wang said as similar incidents continue to occur, the international community is likely to propose regulations, demanding that the CCP comply with them or provide compensation.

Yi Peng 3, the Chinese cargo ship suspected of damaging two telecommunications cables in the Baltic Sea, anchored in the international waters between Denmark and Sweden for over a month in late 2024. The CCP rejected the Swedish prosecutor’s request to investigate the ship.

“It is something the government inherently takes seriously. It is remarkable that the ship leaves without the prosecutor being given the opportunity to inspect the vessel and question the crew within the framework of a Swedish criminal investigation,” Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard said in comments to the Financial Times.

The Chinese ship, the bulk carrier Yi Peng 3, is anchored in the sea of Kattegat off Denmark, on Nov. 20, 2024. Mikkel Berg Pedersen/Ritzau Scanpix via AP

Chung believes that such underwater cable cutters are not only installed on surface vessels disguised as cargo ships or fishing boats but can also be mounted on underwater vehicles, making them nearly impossible to defend against.

“Fundamentally, it violates international rules, just like piracy,” he said.

Nevertheless, Chung believes that the CCP’s actions will backfire and make it a public enemy internationally.

“Because underwater cables today are not only invested in by Taiwan, but also involve cooperation with South Korea, Japan, and the United States,” he said. “If it cuts Taiwan’s cables, it won’t just harm Taiwan; it will also affect the United States, Japan, and South Korea.

“Ultimately, the international community’s negative evaluation of the CCP regime will become increasingly severe.”