A Chinese survey vessel stayed in the Luzon Strait for three days, yet claimed to be near Papua New Guinea. This secretive appearance has once again raised concerns among the Philippines regarding the safety of submarine cables.
The Philippine Coast Guard ( PCG ) stated that the vessel, named “ Jia Hai Ke 7”, disguised its location near the Luzon Strait between the Philippines and Taiwan. PCG claimed that this secret appearance of the Chinese vessel has once again intensified maritime tensions in Asia.
A Coast Guard spokesman, Jay Tariela, stated on X that the vessel did not maintain a stable course but instead wandered within the same area and remained in one position – this is a pattern of movement typical for a ship engaged in marine scientific research ( MSR ), rather than normal navigation. He mentioned that the vessel was driven away on Thursday, but it is alleged to still be protected by the Chinese Coast Guard, despite claiming to be a private vessel.
PCG records this vessel appearing in the northernmost waters of the Philippines, but its Automatic Identification System (AIS) indicates that it is located near Papua New Guinea.
The Coast Guard stated in a statement that a survey vessel that concealed its location in the waters between the Philippines and Taiwan while maintaining fixed stops had raised "serious concerns regarding the security of the country's undersea communication infrastructure and the potential military utilization of the data collected," according to a report by Reuters.
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The appearance of this ship at this time is likely to indicate that there continues to be geopolitical rivalry between China and its neighboring countries. China opposes the attempts by the Philippines and Japan to institutionalize their respective maritime economic zones, claiming that such agreements may infringe upon the maritime territories claimed by China east and south of Taiwan.
It is widely believed by the outside world that China is related to several cable interruptions in the Taiwan Strait in 2024 and 2025, including one line to Penghu Island that was cut off, which led to a Chinese citizen being prosecuted. That person is currently serving a three-year prison sentence.
On the other hand, Taiwan is taking the threat of internet disruptions caused by Chinese cyberattacks seriously. During the most recent civil defense military exercise in August, Taiwan reduced internet speeds to a level that only allowed for basic mobile services to be maintained; some residents communicated through Bluetooth and WiFi mesh networks.
During the exercise, ATM and other functions such as landline telephones were not affected.
Last week, the US Commission on Economic and Security Affairs warned in a report that China is "rapidly building the capability to disrupt undersea cables," including by using submersibles capable of reaching depths of 10,000 meters as well as "swarm" systems composed of networked unmanned platforms.
The report states: 'Scenarios such as attacks on Taiwan could significantly compress or even deplete the entire trans-Pacific communication capacity, forcing communications between the United States and the Indo-Pacific region to detour onto longer and slower global routes.'
The report also quotes a Chinese scholar as saying that “cutting undersea cables is the most effective way to strike at the opponent’s vital points” because it has low military costs and has a significant impact on the enemy’s command and intelligence systems.
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