Given that ships often cut undersea internet cables and China has the biggest export economy, doesn't it make sense that the most likely country to accidentally cut an internet cable would be a Chinese trade ship?

On average, it seems like undersea internet cables break 200+ times per year. For example, Vietnam's internet cables break on average 10 times per year.

What would be the motivation for a Chinese trade ship to deliberately cut an internet cable? It has next to no impact on internet communication and only serves to annoy a small amount of people for a short period of time. In addition, China and Europe are trying to have a better relationship in general so it doesn't make sense for the Chinese government to order this.

I could believe that cutting one cable was an accident. But two, by the same ship, 60 miles apart?

Absolutely no way this wasn't intentional.

>What would be the motivation for a Chinese trade ship to deliberately cut an internet cable?

Money. Russia is reportedly bribing people into doing sabotage in western nations.

There's also reports that Yi Peng 3 is captained by a Russian national, which would also be another reason for a Chinese trade ship to conduct sabotage operations beneficial to Russia.

> What would be the motivation for a Chinese trade ship to deliberately cut an internet cable?

The most charitable reason is that they don't give a fluck. Same reason why their rocket boosters just fall wherever they fall, population center or not

Edit: https://x.com/Tendar/status/1859147985424196010

> The skipper of the Chinese ship is a Russian national and the route leads from Ust-Luga (Russia) to Port Said (Egypt).

At the Baltic Sea the cables and such break mostly because of one reason only: russia. [0]

[0] https://www.csce.gov/briefings/russias-genocide-in-ukraine/