A new video shared by Newsweek shows Taiwan’s Coast Guard warning a 200-ft long Chinese-flagged research vessel to change course. The Chinese ship was observed “lurking over [a] US-Taiwan undersea cable,” according to the source. Hovering over these submarine cables is a clear sign of intelligence gathering, according to Windward, a maritime analysis platform that responded to Newsweek’s questions about the Chinese research vessel’s behavior. The particular cable under its bows was the 8,000-mile Pacific Light Cable Network (PLCN) fiber-optic system. This high-speed cable connects Taiwan and the U.S., as well as the Philippines. Interestingly, the same cable was going to connect Hong Kong, but was rerouted because of American fears over Chinese snooping. While research vessels like the one warned to change direction by Taiwan’s Coast Guard in the video are sometimes described as ‘civilian,’ Beijing’s military-civil fusion policy blurs the distinction.

Full report : Chinese ‘research vessel’ seen loitering above the 8,000-mile Pacific Light Cable Network fiber-optic system.