Another Taiwanese fishing boat was caught using a banned Chinese satellite navigation system. Some legislators in Taiwan think there’s something fishy about those Chinese systems, citing national security concerns.
Taiwan’s coast guard recently intercepted a drug-smuggling fishing boat, equipped with an illegally installed Chinese Beidou satellite navigation system (BDS), mirroring a similar case from last year. Taiwan Statebuilding Party (TSP) legislative candidate Huang Hsin-ying (黃馨瑩) says that Taiwan's fishing boats have become targets of China.
Beidou, one of the four major global navigation systems, poses concerns due to its military applications and allows the People's Liberation Army to reduce reliance on GPS challenging the U.S.-run system. With over 400 million Chinese smartphones supporting Beidou, there are fears of potential leaks of confidential information in military ports, including key naval bases in Taiwan.
Although Taiwan’s Fisheries Agency and National Communications Commission (NCC) have banned the use of Beidou and its equipment, some fishing vessels still use it secretly. The TSP has raised concerns over the potential for security breaches and emphasizes the need for vigilance on this matter.