Taiwan: Critical infrastructure under water

Taiwan-Matsu/Kinmen cable. Graphic: submarinecablemap.com

The extent to which critical infrastructure has become a pawn in current threats is demonstrated by the dependence of Taiwan's Matsu and Kinmen Islands on intact undersea cables. Although these small island groups lie deep within the Chinese coast, they are part of Taiwan's national territory (as are the Pescadores Islands in the Taiwan Strait).

Cable clutter

The dozen small and tiny islands of the Matsu Group, located in the north off the Chinese city of Fuschou, are connected to the main island for data and telephony supply via steel-armoured, 2 to 3 centimetre-thick fibre optic cables. If one of these cables is cut, the only alternative supply to the archipelago is via microwave radio relay, the capacity of which is barely sufficient for telephone calls. However, this has already happened 27 times in the last five years - most recently in February of this year. Repairing a break of this kind takes around three months and costs one million euros. The first of the two cables to Matsu was severed by a fishing boat about 50 kilometres off the island on 2 February 2023, the second cable followed a few days later, caused by a cargo ship, according to Chunghwa Telecom, Taiwan's largest telecommunications provider. The fishing boat was pursued by the Taiwanese coastguard, but managed to escape by jumping across the sea border into Chinese waters in time.

Invasion of Chinese sand dredgers off the Matsu Islands. Photo: Twitter

Sand excavator - always a favourite

A few years ago, a swarm of over a hundred sand dredgers laid siege to the archipelago - similar to the paramilitary fleet of supposed fishing boats that repeatedly attack the other neighbouring states in the South China Sea. How easy it is for a cable to get in the way of innocent sand diggers! Taiwan's coastguard is faced with a Sisyphean task.

Schematic representation of an underwater cable. Graphic: Chunghwa Telecom

National security

However, it is not just about telephony and video streaming, but also about administration, management and information supply - ultimately national security. It would be pointless to mention that Taiwan suspects the great People's Republic behind the expensive and annoying interference manoeuvres, because unfortunately there is no evidence. We know the problem from the Baltic Sea.