EU condemns alleged sabotage of Taiwan's undersea cables

Brussels, Feb. 28 (CNA) The European Union is closely following recent incidents involving undersea cables around Taiwan allegedly being damaged by vessels linked to China, and condemns attacks targeting such infrastructure, an EU spokesperson told CNA Friday.

"We strongly condemn any deliberate destruction of critical infrastructure -- be it in Asia, Europe, or elsewhere," the spokesperson said when replying to questions posed by CNA on condition of anonymity.

"We will continue to work together with likeminded partners around the globe to counter such activities," the spokesperson said, noting how "the very interconnectors that bring us together, like submarine data cables, have become targets -- from the Baltic Sea to the Taiwan Strait."

On Tuesday, a Togolese-registered vessel and its Chinese crew were detained after a submarine communications cable linking Taiwan and the outlying islands of Penghu was severed.

The Coast Guard Administration said that day that it suspected the incident to be an example of "gray zone" techniques China adopts against Taiwan, while Taiwanese telecom company Chunghwa Telecom, which operates the cable, said the incident did not affect users.

The Tainan District Court granted prosecutors' motion to detain the Chinese captain of the vessel for further investigation on Thursday.

When asked if the suspected sabotage of Taiwan's undersea cable highlighted the need for a global partnership to enhance cable resilience, the EU spokesperson said "we plan to work more closely together with our partners and actively engage in 'cable diplomacy.'"

On Feb. 21, EU Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen presented in Helsinki, Finland, a Joint Communication of the Commission and the High Representative to strengthen the security and resilience of submarine cables, the spokesperson said.

What Virkkunen presented is "to collectively improve our capacity to prevent, detect, deter, and respond to incidents affecting submarine critical infrastructure" through international and multinational institutions, according to the spokesperson.

The spokesperson also stated that "the EU has a direct interest in the preservation of the status quo in the Taiwan Strait," and the EU calls on "all parties to exercise restraint and avoid any actions that may further escalate tensions, which should be resolved through cross-strait dialogue."