China's government said on Wednesday that Taiwan was "manipulating" possible Chinese involvement in the latest severing of an undersea communications cable, saying the island was casting aspersions before the facts were clear.

Shortly after, the coast guard was alerted by Chunghwa Telecom, which operates Taiwan's submarine cable network in the strait. The company reported that the cable linking Taiwan's main island to the outlying Penghu County had been severed near where the Togolese-flagged ship had been lingering.

Taiwan's coast guard detained a China-linked cargo ship Tuesday after an undersea cable to the Penghu Islands in the Taiwan Strait was disconnected.