Taiwanese authorities said they had detained a cargo ship crewed by Chinese nationals, which investigators believe may have severed an undersea communications cable near the island Tuesday. It was the latest in a series of murky incidents that have prompted theories that China and Russia may be turning to cable sabotage as a form of harassment at sea.
The damaged cable connected Taiwan to Penghu Islands, which belong to Taiwan. Communications were quickly rerouted. Taiwan’s coast guard said it was probing the incident and had not reached a conclusion about whether the act was deliberate or accidental.