Photo: VCG

When asked to comment on Taiwan authorities' claims that the Togolese-registered ship Hong Tai, which has a mainland background, was involved in dragging and breaking the No. 3 cable from Taiwan to Penghu, and was stopped on the grounds of the so-called caught-in-the-act, Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said on Wednesday that about a hundred incidents of damage to submarine optical fibre cables occur globally every year, and these are common maritime accidents. 

The DPP authorities deliberately played up the situation and attempted political manipulation even before the basic facts and the responsibilities for the accident were clarified. Such actions are deeply unpopular, Zhu said. 

Global Times