Fears are mounting over potential Chinese sabotage after a deep sea cable was reportedly cut off the coast of Taiwan.

A telecommunications cable was reportedly damaged near Yehliu, New Taipei City in the early hours of Friday – just days after Russia was accused of sabotage in the Baltic Sea.

Taiwanese telecoms operator Chunghwa Telecom first reported it before Taiwan’s Coast Guard was called in to investigate.

They discovered that four cores of the international cable had been mangled.

Officials believe the cable was cut near the busy port of Keelung on Taiwan’s north coast.

A Cameroon-registered cargo ship known as the Shunxin 39 has been blamed for causing the damage, according to Taiwan’s National Coast Guard Administration.

Tracking data from the ship’s automatic identification system signal and satellite data showed the Shunxing 39 dragged its anchor near to where the cable was ruptured, Financial Times reports.

Officers reportedly hunted down the cargo ship and ordered it to return to the Port of Keelung.

The Coast Guard inspected the ship’s outside and briefly conversed with the captain.

But officials couldn’t step on board it due to bad weather, according to reports.

It is believed to have been purchased by Jie Yang Trading Limited who are registered in Hong Kong.

The company’s only listed director is a mainland Chinese man called Guo Wenjie, officials added.

Taiwanese authorities are understood to be concerned that the move could be the start of secret operations to cut off external communications.

This could lead to the country being separated from the rest of the world and vulnerable to a Chinese invasion.

Beijing has constantly claimed sovereignty over the island has spent years threatening to seize it by any means necessary.