CCP’s ‘Science’ Ships Are Underwater Spies Mapping Cables It Can Cut

China research ships mapped undersea cables off Guam, CSIS said on October 8, 2026. One ship, Xiang Yang Hong 06, ran a lawn-mower survey about 210 nautical miles from Guam over the Apricot and Asia-America Gateway routes.
CSIS Futures Lab tracked 223 research vessels from 48 countries, using ship data from January 1, 2020, to December 9, 2025. Chinese ships ranked in the top 20 percent for time near critical infrastructure on the high seas in four of those years. Seven did so in 2024. The report says the data can help submarines and could support future damage to cables.
Ke Xue mapped near cables off Japan, then appeared to survey Russia’s Polar Express cable in the Bering Sea. It also went dark for about three hours east of Shemya Island, home to Eareckson Air Station.
About 99 percent of international data moves on these cables. CSIS estimates 22.4 trillion dollars in daily transactions. In March 2025, a Chinese state lab unveiled a cutter rated to 4,000 meters. In April 2026, Haiyang Dizhi 2 tested a cutter at 3,500 meters. Taiwan has blamed Chinese-linked ships for cable damage, and a Taiwan court sentenced the captain of Hong Tai 58 to three years.
#China #UnderseaCables #CSIS
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