Taiwan has unveiled a new global initiative to strengthen the security and resilience of undersea communication cables, a critical component of the world’s digital infrastructure.
The Management Initiative on International Undersea Cables, or RISK—standing for Risk mitigation, Information sharing, Systemic reform, and Knowledge building—seeks to unite governments, industries, and experts to protect submarine cable networks from disruption.
Speaking at the 2025 Taiwan-Europe Submarine Cable Security Cooperation Forum in Taipei, Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung said the initiative would serve as “an open, inclusive, and collaborative platform” for international cooperation.
Latest: Telin, SDEC, ITCO Partner on ICE II Subsea Expansion
Lin emphasized Taiwan’s strategic role in global communications, noting that several major international undersea cables pass through, or near, the country. “These experiences have taught us an important lesson: resilience cannot be taken for granted; it must be built through planning, implementation, and cooperation,” he said, referring to repeated cable disruptions affecting Taiwan’s outlying islands in recent years.
“This is not a national project but rather a global partnership,” Lin added, calling on stakeholders worldwide to join the initiative, emphasizing that they need to ensure a future “where data flows freely and securely, where no nation is left behind, and where connectivity is treated as a public good, not a geopolitical weapon.”
European Parliament Member Rihards Kols highlighted the importance of undersea cables, saying there are currently more than 600 operational, or planned, cables worldwide, stretching nearly 1.5 million kilometers. “These are not just lines of data; they are the nervous system of democratic connectivity,” he said, noting that between 2023 and 2025, 12 separate incidents affected energy lines and undersea cables across the Baltic region, which he believes were “acts of sabotage.”
Related: Jan De Nul Boosts Taiwan Offshore Wind with Formosa 4 Deal
Kols, who is from Latvia, also noted Taiwan’s unique position in the Indo-Pacific’s digital infrastructure. “Taiwan knows better than most what it means to be targeted with persistent pressure—economic, digital, narrative, and also physical—which is why Taiwan’s experience matters and why Taiwan’s voice must be part of this global conversation,” he said.
The half-day forum was organized by the Research Institute for Democracy Society and Emerging Technology, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Formosa Club, a Taiwan-friendly cross-party group of European legislators.
