A Chinese national has been sentenced to three years in prison for damaging an undersea cable connecting Taiwan’s main island and the Penghu islands in the Taiwan Strait.

The man, identified by his surname Wang, was the captain of the Togolese-registered vessel Hong Tai 58.

The Tainan District Court’s verdict on Thursday marks the first sentencing after reports in recent years of undersea cables around Taiwan being severed.

Taipei has accused Beijing of sabotaging its cables, describing it as a “grey zone” tactic to pressure the self-ruled island, which China claims as its territory.