TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan has stepped up patrols to protect its undersea cables amid intensifying Chinese gray zone tactics, Reuters reported Thursday.

Taiwan relies on about 24 undersea cables for nearly all external connectivity. If China cut these cables, it could paralyze communications with the outside world and disrupt the economy, military command, and emergency response.

Reporting aboard Coast Guard Administration ship PP-10079 as it reconnoitered the TP3 cable in the Taiwan Strait, Reuters said gray zone tactics are designed to drain Taiwan’s resources. The vessel’s captain said, “We are stepping up patrols in this area, monitoring for any vessels engaging in disruptive or destructive activities.”

In February, the TP3 cable was cut by a Chinese ship. In June, a Taiwanese court found the captain guilty of intentionally damaging undersea cables and sentenced him to three years in prison.

Taiwan intensified its response to cable incidents following suspected sabotage in the Baltic Sea after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. There are now 24-hour patrols near TP3, and an alert system detects vessels approaching within 1 kilometer of the cable.

Deputy Secretary-General of the National Security Council Lin Fei-fan (林飛帆) told Reuters that Taiwan was among the countries most affected by cable sabotage. “We are indeed very close to China and many densely populated submarine cable areas are highly vulnerable to damage,” he said.

Reuters added that coast guard resources are being stretched by cable-protection duties. Taiwan has blacklisted 96 China-linked boats and is monitoring nearly 400 others.