China says Taiwan politicising cable damage issue, after ship's captain jailed

China's government on Friday said Taiwan was deliberately politicising the damage of undersea communication cables as part of a smear campaign, expressing anger after the island jailed a Chinese ship captain for an incident earlier this year.

A Taiwanese court on Thursday sentenced the captain of the Togo-flagged ship to three years in jail after finding him guilty of intentionally damaging undersea cables off the island in February, in an incident that alarmed Taiwan officials.

In a statement, China's Taiwan Affairs Office said that damage to maritime cables were "common accidents", saying Taiwan was hyping up the issue for political purposes.

"The aim is to attack and smear the mainland, to stir up confrontation and antagonism across the Taiwan Strait," it said.

RECOMMENDED FOR YOU

Niger Roundup: US oil investment push, security concerns in Bilma, soaring meat prices grip Niger

"We express firm opposition to the Democratic Progressive Party authorities' manipulation of the legal system to pressure the mainland ship's captain, and demand they end the political manipulation of accidents," the office added, referring to Taiwan's ruling party.

The captain's legal rights should be guaranteed, it added.

Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory, has reported five cases of sea cable malfunctions this year, compared with three each in 2024 and 2023, according to its digital ministry.