Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

Two submarine cables connecting Lienchiang County to Taiwan proper were damaged by Chinese boats at the beginning of this month. The incident not only leaves county residents without stable Internet and telephone service, it raises national security concerns that Taiwan and its outlying islands could easily be “disconnected” from the world in a military blockade or due to sabotage.

The Taima No. 2 cable connecting the county to New Taipei City and the Taima No. 3 cable connecting it to Taoyuan were damaged on Feb. 2 by a Chinese fishing boat and on Feb. 8 by a cargo ship respectively. Chunghwa Telecom Co said the cables would not be fully repaired until the end of April, as it awaits an international maintenance ship to repair the broken undersea communication lines.

The other day, I spoke with a compatriot who lives in China, who asked what I had against the “actor” Tuniyaz. His use of the word “actor” was sarcastic. When I said I did not understand, he asked: “Do the British not appreciate the arts? What would happen with one more show in London? Do British lawmakers not appreciate actors?”

At this point, I realized he was referring to Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region Chairman Erkin Tuniyaz and his canceled visit to the UK.

Tuniyaz performed in a “theatrical production” at the UN in 2019, orchestrated by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). As the keynote speaker, he had announced the closure of camps that China had long denied even existed and later said were “vocational training centers.”