Taiwan Says Another Chinese-Linked Vessel Circling Near Undersea Cables

A Taiwan Coast Guard ship travels past the coast of China, in the waters off Nangan island of Matsu archipelago in Taiwan on Aug. 16, 2022. Reuters/Ann Wang

Taiwan’s coast guard said on Monday that it detected a Mongolian-flagged vessel, which was formally registered in China, in the waters near its undersea cables—the second such incident this month.

The Bao Shun vessel was spotted 2.6 miles northeast of Caoli port in New Taipei’s Shimen District on Jan. 5, according to the coast guard. The coast guard said the ship came “too close to the shore” at one point, posing “a risk to navigation safety.”

In response, the coast guard quickly alerted the Keelung Port Signal Station and deployed patrol boats to investigate the freighter, according to its statement.

The coast guard said its boats conducted a safety check with the vessel and found a technical fault on the ship’s wheel system. The ship was later anchored for repairs and resumed its journey northeast on Jan. 6.

The coast guard did not report any damage to the undersea cable in the area following the incident.

According to the VesselFinder, the Bao Shun was registered as a Chinese-flagged ship in 2005 under the name Shun Tai 188 before switching to a Mongolian-flagged ship in 2023.

The incident came just two days after the coast guard spotted another Chinese-linked vessel, the Shunxin-39, seven nautical miles off the north coast of Yehliu on Jan. 3. The coast guard suspected this vessel was responsible for damaging Taiwan’s submarine cables located in the area.

The Shunxin-39 operated under the flag of Cameroon but Taiwanese officials believe it was owned by a Hong Kong-registered company with ties to China.

The ship was ordered to return to waters near the Taiwanese port Keelung Harbor for investigation but rough seas prevented coast guard officials from boarding. The ship subsequently headed toward South Korea, according to local reports.

In another incident, the Chinese bulk carrier Yi Peng 3 was being investigated after two undersea fiber-optic cables were severed in the Baltic Sea.

Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard said on Dec. 22, 2024, that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) had denied its prosecutors access to the vessel for investigation. The Chinese foreign ministry later said it had provided information and documents to the investigation.

Ho Cheng-hui, CEO of Taiwan’s civil defense group Kuma Academy, said the damage to Taiwan’s undersea cable was part of China’s efforts to test the international community’s response as it seeks to escalate its gray zone tactics against the self-ruling island, which the CCP claims it should govern and “reunify” with the mainland.

In recent years, the CCP has employed various gray zone tactics to pressure Taiwan, including holding large-scale military drills, sending fighter jets and warships near the island, and enticing Taiwan’s allies to switch their diplomatic recognition to them.