Group warns of ships loitering off southern TaiwanBy Tsai Tsung-hsien and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe presence of several ships flying flags of convenience near the Fangshan Submarine Cable Protection Zone off the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島) could indicate that they are engaged in “gray zone” tactics or targeting Taiwan’s undersea cables, military interest group TaiwanADIZ said yesterday. The vessels switched their Automatic Identification System (AIS) statuses to “not under command” after entering the area, the group said. A graphic shows a cluster of ships in the Fangshan Submarine Cable Protection Zone off the Hengchun Peninsula. The Fangshan area has one of the densest concentrations of submarine cables near Taiwan, it said. The Coast Guard Administration and the Republic of China Navy should monitor the situation using coastal radar and patrol vessels to prevent foreign ships from sabotaging submarine cables under the guise of engineering difficulties, TaiwanADIZ said.

Source: Taipei Times March 07, 2026 17:12 UTC