The EU's top diplomat warns that international underwater cable attacks by Russia and China are not mere coincidences.

Recent attacks on underwater cables in the Baltic Sea and South China Sea by Russia and China, respectively, have raised concerns among top officials that they are not mere coincidence.

The number of maritime sabotage attempts has increased globally in recent years, with a significant increase observed in the past few months following three attacks in three consecutive months, starting in November. The prime suspects are Russia and China.

"Russia has been running a hybrid campaign against Europe for years, including spreading disinformation, cyberattacks, and weaponizing energy supplies. EU High Representative Kaja Kallas stated this to Planet Chronicle Digital. While Russia is a challenge, it is not the only one we face."

In November, two cables under the Baltic Sea were cut, and a Chinese-flagged commercial ship named Yi Peng 3 was stopped by Danish naval forces and made to anchor at sea while international authorities began investigating the incident.

On Nov. 15, a Chinese ship left the Russian port of Ust-Luga and, while sailing in the Baltic Sea, dragged its anchor for over 100 miles, causing damage to an undersea cable connecting Sweden and Lithuania on Nov. 17 and the only communication cable linking Finland with Germany on the 18th.

The October 2023 incident, in which a Chinese ship called the NewNew Polar Bear dragged anchor and caused damage to the Balticconnector gas pipeline and two telecommunications cables between Sweden and Estonia, eerily resembled the current incident.

The vulnerability of Western subsea infrastructure was highlighted by the damage to the pipeline, which occurred just one year after the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines were significantly damaged.

On Oct. 22, 2023, the Chinese ship arrived in the Russian port of Arkhangelsk without its port side anchor.

European leaders swiftly expressed their doubts that the November attack was an act of sabotage, and former Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis highlighted the similarities between the two attacks in a social media post, stating, "If I had a nickel for every time a Chinese ship was dragging its anchor on the bottom of the Baltic Sea near important cables, I would have two nickels, which isn't much, but it's strange that it happened twice."

Beijing has denied any intentional wrongdoing in both incidents, but targeting international undersea cables is a tactic that China often employs.

Taiwan is currently investigating whether a China-linked ship was responsible for damaging one of its internet cables, and in response, Taipei has increased its low-orbit satellite network to prevent future attempts by Beijing to cut it off from the international community by targeting its fiber-optic cables.

The tactics that China has long employed against Taiwan are now being optimized in the Baltic Sea.

The EU's top diplomat stated that Chinese vessels have been linked to the recent damage in the Baltic Sea cables, a phenomenon that has been observed in the Taiwan strait for years. Given China's substantial backing of Russia in its conflict with Ukraine, it is challenging to dismiss these occurrences as mere happenstances.

"China is closely monitoring our response to Russia's war. The U.S. must be strong on Russia to prevent trouble with China," Kallas warned. "Supporting Ukraine today helps keep American forces out of future conflicts."

Other countries, besides China, are also suspected of sabotaging international undersea cables.

Finland has seized a vessel suspected of being linked to Russia after it was accused of damaging four telecommunications and power cables on Christmas Day by dragging its anchor across the seabed.

The Eagle S tanker, which is believed to be owned by Moscow, is suspected of being part of a "shadow fleet" scheme that uses old vessels to evade sanctions and maintain Russia's oil exports to fund its war in Ukraine.

Neither the Pentagon nor the White House responded to Planet Chronicle Digital's questions about whether the recent attacks in both regions of the world are connected. However, security experts have indicated that in international politics, there is little room for "coincidence."

"Although there is no clear evidence of Chinese and Russian coordination and collusion, I believe that coincidences are unlikely in international affairs, according to former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for East Asia Heino Klinck, who spoke to Planet Chronicle Digital. Both malicious actors excel in the ambiguous zone, and these attacks appear to be mutually reinforcing and mutually inspiring as they illustrate the ineffective international response so far."

A NATO spokesperson informed Planet Chronicle Digital that on Tuesday, NATO will unveil a new defensive strategy called "Baltic Sentry," which will entail the deployment of additional ships, a naval drone fleet, and the use of AI to enhance the detection, deterrence, and response to attacks or sabotage in the Baltic Sea.

Despite not responding to questions about whether NATO assesses the recent maritime sabotage as a coordinated operation between Russia and China, a Western security official familiar with the intelligence on the attacks stated that these are not believed to be incidents of opportunity.

"The security official, speaking to Planet Chronicle Digital on condition of anonymity, stated that the coordination of the anchor was more planned and organized than initially assumed."