November 03, 2026

China’s Cable-Cutting Threat Reaches Taiwan and the Philippines

By: Ryan Claffey

This article was originally published in Nikkei Asia.

The "cloud" is not, in fact, in the sky. It runs through fiber-optic cables along the ocean floor. These cables carry more than 99% of intercontinental data traffic and facilitate more than $10 trillion in financial transactions every day. Yet China is waging gray-zone warfare against cables that connect the U.S. to critical allies and partners like the Philippines and Taiwan. A coordinated, allied response is needed to stop it.

A deliberate cable cut in the Philippines is a serious possibility. China's subsea sabotage against Taiwan shows what the Philippines could face.

In September, the Philippine Coast Guard detected a Chinese research vessel loitering near cable routes 37 nautical miles (68.5 kilometers) northwest of Itbayat in Batanes province. The ship ignored repeated radio calls, broadcast a false automatic identification system (AIS) position and maneuvered to evade Philippine Coast Guard enforcement. On Oct. 1, the coast guard deployed its largest vessel to challenge the Chinese ship.

Read the full article in Nikkei Asia.

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