A hot topic in Japan:

A Chinese-crewed cargo ship is suspected of deliberately damaging an undersea communication cable in Taiwan's northern waters.

Local media reported that the ship was seen dragging its anchor and maneuvering erratically, suggesting a possible intentional act.

The ship is owned by a Hong Kong company and its director resides in mainland China. All seven crew members are Chinese nationals.

As essential infrastructure for global connectivity, undersea cables have been repeatedly targeted in the Baltic Sea. The damage to a Finland-Estonia gas pipeline and cable in October 2023, followed by incidents involving Sweden-Lithuania and Finland-Germany links in November, has raised serious concerns about regional security. Chinese vessels have been implicated in these acts of sabotage.