Taiwan suspects China was behind the cutting of an undersea telecom cable early Friday.

The cargo ship Shunxin-39, flagged in Cameroon but linked to a Chinese-owned Hong Kong company, was intercepted by Taiwan’s coast guard but escaped due to rough seas.

Despite the damage, Chunghwa Telecom rerouted traffic, ensuring uninterrupted service on the $500 million Trans-Pacific Express cable.

Taiwan has faced repeated cable disruptions in recent years and has sought EU assistance, Politico has reported.

These incidents mirror similar gray-zone tactics seen in Europe, such as the severing of a Finland-Estonia power cable, blamed on Russia.

Written by B.C. Begley