China seeks 2 Taiwanese residents over smuggling linked to damaged undersea cable

ISTANBUL

China said on Wednesday it had issued wanted notices for two Taiwanese residents it described as "repeat smuggling offenders," accusing them of controlling vessels, including the Hong Tai 58, which allegedly damaged a vital undersea cable linking Penghu Island with Taiwan’s main island earlier this year.

The two suspects are accused of using the vessel to smuggle frozen goods onto mainland vessels.

The Hong Tai 58 incident in February was "in fact the result of Jian and Chen operating the vessel to engage in smuggling activities," spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council Peng Qing’en said, according to the state-run Global Times.

Disregarding the facts of the case, the DPP (Democratic Progressive Party) authorities have maliciously claimed "gray-zone harassment" by the mainland in an attempt to provoke confrontation and antagonism across the Taiwan Strait, Peng said.

The Weihai Municipal Public Security Bureau in eastern China’s Shandong Province said that police uncovered the smuggling syndicate led by Jian and Chen during an investigation into the seven Chinese members of the Hong Tai 58 crew.

Authorities said individuals who provide information leading to the arrest of the suspects or assist in their capture could receive rewards ranging from 50,000 yuan (about $7,114) to 250,000 yuan ($35,569), depending on the circumstances.

In April, Taiwanese authorities indicted the Chinese captain of the vessel accused of damaging the undersea communications cable. In June, the captain, whose surname was identified as Wang, was sentenced to three years in jail.

The Togo-flagged Hong Tai 58, operated by a Chinese crew, was intercepted by Taiwan’s Coast Guard after it allegedly damaged the underwater cable in February.