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TAIPEI, April 30 (Reuters) – Taiwan has activated backup communications for its northernmost territory, the remote and strategically located island of Dongyin, \u200cafter poor weather conditions apparently shifted the wreckage of a \u200cship onto an undersea cable causing it to break.<\/p>\n
The vulnerability of undersea communication cables linking \u200bTaiwan with its outlying islands has been a persistent cause of concern for Taipei, whose government has on several occasions blamed Chinese ships for intentionally causing damage.<\/p>\n
Dongyin, home to around 1,500 people, sits in a strategic position at \u200cthe top of the \u2060Taiwan Strait and the island has a heavy military presence. It does not have an airport and relies on \u2060ferries from Taiwan.<\/p>\n
Taiwan’s Ministry of Digital Affairs said in a statement late Wednesday that the cable linking Dongyin to Beigan, part of the Taiwan-controlled Matsu \u200bislands which \u200bsit close to the Chinese coast, \u200bhad broken.<\/p>\n
A microwave communication backup \u200csystem has been activated, transferring voice communications and internet services, with mobile phone, voice, and data internet services on Dongyin operating normally.<\/p>\n
Cable television services are unable to operate and some internet services may experience minor delays due to weather conditions, it added.<\/p>\n
Repairs to the cable by Chunghwa Telecom are \u200cexpected to be completed by the end \u200bof July, though that will depend on \u200bweather conditions, the ministry said.<\/p>\n
In \u200b2023, two undersea cables connecting the Matsu islands were \u200ccut, disconnecting the internet. Taiwan authorities \u200bsaid two Chinese \u200bvessels caused the disruption, but said that there was no evidence Beijing deliberately tampered with the cables.<\/p>\n
Taiwan has since worked to boost \u200bits communication resilience for \u200cemergencies including a conflict with China, such as a trial programme \u200bto use low-Earth-orbit satellites for remote areas including Matsu.<\/p>\n
(Reporting by \u200bBen Blanchard; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n