A platform coordinating central and local government agency responses to undersea cable disruptions was launched April 28 in southern Taiwan’s Pingtung County, underscoring the country’s commitment to enhancing whole-of-society resilience.
According to the Cabinet-level Ocean Affairs Council, the meeting was convened by Pingtung District Prosecutors Office and involved representatives from the OAC’s Coast Guard Administration, National Police Agency’s Second Special Police Corps, Port of Kaohsiung and state-supported service provider Chunghwa Telecom, among other entities.
Given that Pingtung is a vital location for submarine cable landing stations, the county urgently needs a dedicated reporting and response platform for cable-related incidents, the OAC said. Through the newly created mechanism, law enforcement agencies can act in unison to curb criminal activities targeting undersea cables, it added.
Describing submarine cables as Taiwan’s digital lifeline, OAC Minister Kuan Bi-ling said there have been two major incidents this year that involved foreign ships with Chinese connections. The government will not allow such cases to become another gray-zone tactic wielded by China against Taiwan, she said, adding that agencies have stepped up monitoring and enforcement in critical maritime zones to protect the vital infrastructure.
The OAC said this is Taiwan’s first such initiative focused on maritime infrastructure security, adding that it expects the platform to serve as a model for other municipal governments in the future. (SFC-E)
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