China has been repeatedly accused of deliberately severing Taiwan's undersea telecommunications cables.
So when Beijing's powerful new cable cutter was revealed in March this year, it made headlines and was met with consternation from Western analysts.
Reported to be able to slice through the most fortified undersea telecommunications cables at depths of up to 4,000 metres, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) described the submarine-mounted saw as a development that could "reset the global order".
The technology could potentially be used to disrupt national or international communications, cutting its enemies off from the world during a geopolitical stoush.
But how big a deal is the cable cutter really?
Is it a game-changing development, or mostly hype?
'It's not super high-tech'
Taiwan has been accusing China of sabotaging its cables since 2019, and this year took a Chinese cargo ship captain to court over it for the first time.
Beijing has denied Taiwan and Western powers' accusations, with recent Chinese media articles accusing Europe and the US of "defamation" around the cable-cutting issue.
China expert and consulting editor at the Taiwan Strait Risk Report Mike Chinoy said cutting cables was part of China's strategy of "grey zone" activities.
"Muscular activities short of war — there's not going to be shots fired or fights breaking out — but coupled with intrusions into Taiwan's Air Defence Identification Zone, and Chinese military exercises simulating blockades on Taiwan, they are trying to send signals that China can make life very difficult for Taiwan," he said.
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Erin Murphy is deputy director of emerging Asia economics at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington DC.
"We have a pretty high degree of confidence that cable-cutting sabotage in Taiwan, for example, has been intentional,"
she said.
She said a zigzag pattern of damage indicated intentional sabotage with several passes back and forth increasing the likelihood of hitting the cable.
"'[Zigzagging] means that the ship is trying to make sure it cuts or damages the cable," she said.
"Dragging an anchor may miss the first time, as it sometimes bounces along the sea floor."
Ms Murphy said the new cable-cutting technology was something to keep an eye on.
"I'd see the new cable cutter as being like [China's AI model] DeepSeek, but in a less exciting way," she said.
"Yes, every ship has cutting equipment, so it's not super high-tech. Honestly, if a country decided it really wanted to cut another's cables, it probably wouldn't take too much.
"But with this, China wants to say to the world, 'We're more advanced, we're further along than you thought.'
"Enough intrigue exists around it and there are enough incidents that it's something governments need to seriously consider."
'Hybrid psychological warfare'
Cynthia Mehboob is a PhD candidate at the Australian National University's Department of International Relations and an analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.
She said there was nothing particularly threatening about the new cable cutter in itself, as described in the SCMP article.
"Below about 1,500 metres, cables aren't armoured anyway," she said, negating the need for a super-powered cutter.
Instead, she sees an ulterior motive to the announcement of the cable cutter.
She said coupled with media coverage of China's strengths in building undersea networks, Beijing was "trying to formulate [a] narrative".
"That the West is failing in its infrastructure, and that China presents the best alternative with its high-tech cable-laying vessels and its capacity to keep infrastructure safe," she said.
"You could see it as a carrot-and-stick approach.
"They're waging hybrid psychological warfare by saying, 'If you buy your cables from the Western companies, then there's a chance that we will come and cut your cables because we have this specialised cutter.'"
Mr Chinoy said media reports were important for what they revealed about China's capabilities.
"It's a real threat, these are real capabilities that China is demonstrating,"
he said.
"But it's a kind of political theatre also, it's designed to send political messages that China has the capability and therefore it's in Taiwan's interest to bend the knee and in American interests not to mess with China … because China's an impressive player that can strike back."
A play for the Pacific
For Australia, experts say seabed mining in and around the Pacific islands is of more concern than submarine-mounted saws.
In February this year, the Cook Islands off the coast of New Zealand struck a deal with Chinese companies.
"It allows China to explore the seabed and potentially also extract critical minerals," Ms Mehboob said.
It would also mean China "would be very close to our waters, constantly", Ms Mehboob said.
Mining operations pose a threat to undersea cables, and there's no solid regulatory system to deal with the fallout.
Ms Mehboob said the fixation with cable-cutting prevented Australia from recognising the real area that needed attention.
"If we pay attention to the International Cable Protection Committee and reports they publish, the long-term threat to subsea cables is not espionage, but seabed mining," she said.
Ms Murphy said the emerging conflict between mining and subsea networks could go badly for the region.
"If you start having trade wars, suddenly the seabed floor becomes another area of competition for critical minerals. Coupled with strategic infrastructure there, you raise the risks of more accidents," she said.
She said there were also risks with laying and repairing them.
"Huawei only has a small percentage of the market, but increasingly has the ship capability to go out and do those repairs and lay those cables itself,"
Ms Murphy said.
"So it becomes a question around whether we can even trust these cables in those situations."
With China's help, she said the Pacific islands could forge ahead in cable construction.
"The Pacific islands right now have a great need for this kind of infrastructure and connectivity," Ms Murphy said.
Though there are risks, Australia is well-positioned to address them.
"Australia goes out of its way to help keep the Pacific connected, because it also ensures secure connectivity for Canberra," said Ms Mehboob.
Ms Murphy said Australia and Singapore are also among the countries with the best cable-monitoring processes.
She said they provided permits to repair cables "relatively quickly".
With the United States now expediting seabed mining licenses through executive order, competition in the arena is likely to increase.
Ms Mehboob said Australia needs a region-specific dispute resolution framework for the seabed.
"At the moment, if a cable is cut, the dispute defaults to ambiguity. No one will take responsibility, everyone will say it was an accident," she said.
