Tsai urges joint efforts with Lithuania, EU on undersea cable damage

Vilnius, Lithuania, May 12 (CNA) Former President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania, and the European Union to address attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure that threaten their information security.

In her speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital on Monday, Tsai took note of recent incidents in which undersea cables vital for data transmission across borders in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea were severed over the past year.

Taiwanese authorities have suspected Chinese sabotage of the cables near Taiwan's waters, while EU leaders have pointed to Russia for likely being responsible for the breaches in the Baltic.

"Taiwan and our European friends should work closely together on this issue," Tsai said of the disruptions, calling for the "sharing [of] best practices" to more effectively respond to escalating attacks on their critical infrastructure.

More broadly, Tsai urged democracies to work together on addressing abuses of open information platforms.

Taiwan is "an ideal partner for European countries" as they step up efforts to address disinformation and manipulation campaigns perpetrated by authoritarian regimes with the aim of eroding democratic institutions, said Tsai, who left office last May after completing two four-year terms.

According to Tsai, Taiwan has "gained unique experience and developed innovative tools to counter malign influence" through its extensive exposure to cyberattacks, disinformation operations and large-scale military drills.

The former president also praised the ongoing collaborations between Taiwan and Lithuania initiated during her tenure, during which Taipei opened a representative office in Vilnius and Vilnius established a trade office in Taipei.

The warming of ties between the two since 2021 has faced challenges, however, including Beijing's punitive economic measures against Lithuania and concerns within Lithuanian society about the political and economic repercussions of deepening such a relationship.

Tsai, of Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party, began the first leg of her European tour in Lithuania on May 10, meeting with former Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė and other parliamentarians from the Baltic nation, and visiting a Taiwanese-Lithuanian venture focused on vertical farming.

According to Tsai's office, she also met with a delegation from the United States House of Representatives, including Betty McCollum (D-MN) and Jake Ellzey (R-TX).

After visiting Lithuania, Tsai will travel to Denmark and later the United Kingdom.