Facing new China ‘grey-zone’ threat, Taiwan steps up subsea internet cable patrols

ON BOARD THE TAIWAN COAST GUARD SHIP PP-10079, Taiwan Strait: Taiwanese coast guard captain Juan Chung-ching’s patrol boat moves across the Taiwan Strait, scanning for threats to what Taipei says is the newest target of China’s grey-zone warfare: undersea cables vital to the democratic island’s communications.

Juan steered his 100-ton vessel, armed with water cannons and an autocannon, toward TP3, the undersea cable that made international headlines when a Chinese captain was found guilty of deliberately severing it this year.