Published: 5:30pm, 29 Apr 2025Updated: 5:36pm, 29 Apr 2025
Taiwan has launched a platform to help respond to disruptions to undersea cables, amid accusations by Taipei that Beijing is behind recent incidents that posed a threat to the island’s communications.
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The new Regional Response Platform for Submarine Cable Security was unveiled following a multi-agency meeting on Monday in Pingtung, a county in southern Taiwan.
The platform has been set up to facilitate a coordinated response to cable-related crime. It brings together the island’s coastguard, prosecutors, telecoms operators and investigators and is Taiwan’s first such initiative focused on maritime infrastructure security.
“Pingtung, as a key location for submarine cable landings and exits, urgently needs a dedicated reporting and response mechanism for cable-related incidents,” the Ocean Affairs Council said in a statement on Tuesday.
“Through this platform, prosecutors, police, investigators and administrative agencies can work closely together to crack down on criminal activities targeting submarine cables.”
The council described undersea cables as Taiwan’s “digital lifeline” and noted that there had been two major incidents of damage already this year.