Early in February, the island of Matsu's two cables linking it to Taiwan were cut: first by a fishing vessel, then by a cargo ship. The island is the closest outpost of Taiwan to the Chinese mainland. Excused as 'accidents,' the incidents coincided with increasing tensions as the rhetoric emanating from Beijing against Taipei and Washington escalated and underlined the vulnerability of global internet traffic to disruption. This has been an increasing source of concern since January 2022, when the Svalbard Undersea Cable System which links mainland Norway and the Svalbard archipelago in the Arctic Ocean was cut: Suspicions fell on Russia, which had been complaining that a Svalbard-based satellite facility was tracking its submarines.

https://opinion.inquirer.net/163033/underwater-cable-contest

#inquirer