Philippines Weighs Taiwan Ties to Guard Undersea Cables

The Philippines is exploring deeper cooperation with Taiwan to protect undersea cables, even as Manila recognizes Beijing and not Taipei. The cables carry nearly all intercontinental data flows, Philippine diplomat Felipe F. Carino III said, warning that “60-67% of cyber incidents happen in our region.”

“[W]e are exploring deeper cooperation with our friends in Taiwan,” Carino said Wednesday at a seminar in Washington. He added that Manila is considering cooperation “notwithstanding our one China policy.” The diplomatic apparatus is trying to protect shared interests while keeping a policy that recognizes Beijing, not the Taiwanese government with which Manila is discussing closer ties.

Cable security, state by state

Carino, Manila’s deputy chief of mission in Washington, said the Philippines and Taiwan were considering “knowledge-sharing and capacity building.” He described a “pragmatic and practical approach” to protecting shared interests in the Bashi Channel between Taiwan and the Philippines, linking cable security to South China Sea tensions without naming China.

The stakes are concrete. Undersea cables carry nearly all intercontinental data flows, and Taipei has stepped up efforts to protect communications links it says are vital to the island’s connections with the rest of the world. The discussion centers on state cooperation and maritime security; the source gives no details of a community-led response.

The Philippines and Taiwan have repeatedly complained about Chinese activities they say aim to pressure them without direct confrontation. China claims Taiwan as its own territory and has overlapping claims with Taiwan and the Philippines in the South China Sea. Those competing claims frame Manila’s search for practical cooperation, even as its one-China policy recognizes Beijing.

Ships, patrols and gray-zone pressure

This month, the Philippine coast guard said it sent its largest vessel and an aircraft to challenge a Chinese research ship operating off northern Batanes province, near undersea cable corridors. State resources went to sea to confront a vessel positioned near infrastructure the Philippines says needs protection.

Asked whether cooperation with Taiwan could include joint patrols or accountability for vessels that disrupt communications, Carino said he had no details. “I’m sure that this is a constantly evolving cooperation, and some of the things that you mentioned may be actually coming to fruition,” he said. The proposed measures remain uncertain. No one has established whether joint patrols or accountability mechanisms will follow.

Surveillance and calls for UN action

At the same seminar, Andrea Yang, Taiwan’s deputy representative in Washington, referred to the jailing in Taiwan of a Chinese ship captain over damage to an undersea cable. Yang said Taiwan would put more resources into developing unmanned systems to improve maritime surveillance.

Yang also said undersea cable interference should go before the United Nations, which should consider mechanisms to prevent “bad behavior.” Her proposal puts part of the response in the hands of an international institution, while Philippine and Taiwanese officials described practical cooperation and increased surveillance as immediate areas of attention. The officials have outlined possible tools, not a finished plan. For now, the cables remain caught in the same contest of state claims and maritime power their protection is meant to address.