Taiwan and China traded barbs over what the government in Taipei suspects was a Chinese-linked ship's damage to an undersea communications cable off the island's coast, an incident that has raised alarm bells on the island.

Taiwanese authorities said they were investigating a Chinese-owned ship suspected of dragging its anchor over an international subsea telecoms cable.

The Chinese director of a firm whose vessel Taiwan suspects of having damaged an undersea communications cable said on Wednesday there was no evidence the ship was involved, an incident that has alarmed the government in Taipei.

The incident raises concern China will try to cut all undersea cables to Taiwan in the event of a military invasion, so Taiwan is racing to develop a satellite-based internet service.

A Chinese-owned vessel is suspected of severing an undersea cable off the Taiwanese coast recently, according to authorities on the island. Taiwan’s coast guard requested that the cargo ship return to shore for an investigation,

A Chinese-owned freighter registered in Cameroon has drawn scrutiny for severing an undersea cable off the coast of northern Taiwan near Keelung Harbor. This latest disruption underscores the growing vulnerabilities in Taiwan's critical infrastructure as tensions with China continue to escalate.