Taiwan activates backup communications for outlying island after undersea cable breaks

– Taiwan has activated backup communications for its northernmost territory, the remote and strategically located island of Dongyin, after poor weather conditions apparently shifted the wreckage of a ship onto an undersea cable causing it to break. The vulnerability of undersea communication cables linking Taiwan with its outlying islands has been a persistent cause of concern for Taipei, whose government has on several occasions blamed Chinese ships for intentionally causing damage. Dongyin, home to around 1,500 people, sits in a strategic position at the top of the Taiwan Strait and the island has a heavy military presence. It does not…