China's government said on Wednesday that Taiwan was "manipulating" possible Chinese involvement in the latest severing of an undersea communications cable, saying the island was casting aspersions before the facts were clear.

Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory, has repeatedly complained about "gray zone" Chinese activities around the island, designed to pressure it without direct confrontation, such as balloon overflights and sand dredging.

Taiwan's coast guard said it detained a China-linked cargo ship on Tuesday after a nearby undersea cable to the Penghu Islands in the sensitive Taiwan Strait was disconnected.