Australian Defense Minister: Baltic and Taiwan Strait Cable Damage Highlights Risks to Critical Infrastructure

(CNA, Singapore, 30th) Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles warned today at the 2026 Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore that frequent damage to subsea cables in the Baltic Sea and the Taiwan Strait highlights the risks facing these critical facilities. According to reports from the AP and ABC, as Marles delivered his speech, analysts suggested that China and Russia might be behind these incidents. Marles stated, "Since November 2024, subsea cables in the Baltic Sea and Taiwan Strait have been frequently cut, which is shocking," though he did not directly name Beijing or Moscow. "Perhaps these are just accidents, but even so, it highlights the vulnerability of such critical global infrastructure." Marles also stated that while the rules-based international order is not perfect, "the task before us, including all of us and the great powers, is to reshape, not dismantle, this order." He emphasized, "When rules apply equally, small nations can have autonomy. When rules yield to power, sovereignty becomes the exclusive domain of the powerful, as others have said. None of the countries present here today, large or small, would benefit from such an outcome."