Chinese cable-laying ship operating off Subic

THE presence of a Chinese cable-laying ship near the Subic Bay Naval Base in Zambales has raised concerns among security experts and United States officials. The CS Fu Tai was tracked on Monday by Sealight, a maritime transparency project that monitors and reports activities in the South China Sea. Sealight Director Ray Powell said the Fu Tai was owned and operated by China's SB Submarine Systems (SBSS) but was Panama-flagged. Subic Bay, a strategic hub in Philippine-US defense cooperation, is close to vital undersea cables that carry internet and military communications. It is not only a focal point for joint military exercises with the US but also a gateway for critical internet infrastructure connecting the country to the global network. Experts said that if undersea cables were compromised, it could disrupt the country's digital services and expose classified military data. Concerns are heightened by the fact that SBSS is partially owned by China's state-controlled China Telecom. US officials have warned that repair ships like the Fu Tai could be used to tap or tamper with undersea cables, risking the integrity of sensitive data. The cables are essential for the country's digital economy and defense communications, given its strategic location in the South China Sea — a hotspot of maritime disputes involving China. The Fu Tai's activities coincide with reports from US intelligence that SBSS ships frequently turn off their location transponders while operating in sensitive areas, including the waters near Taiwan and Japan. Experts suggest the practice could indicate covert activities, such as mapping seabeds or installing surveillance equipment. The Department of Foreign Affairs has not issued a statement on the Fu Tai's operating near Subic. But analysts said the incident should push the Philippines to strengthen maritime monitoring and enforce strict regulations on foreign vessels operating in its territorial waters.