Taiwan will dispatch its navy if needed to help the coast guard respond to any suspicious activity near undersea communication cables, Defence Minister Wellington Koo said on Thursday, after a Chinese-linked ship was suspected of damaging one.

Taiwan says its navy can help the coast guard to protect the country's undersea communication cables in the wake of an incident with a Chinese-linked ship.

Hong Kong democrat Jimmy Lai on Thursday told a court trying him for colluding with foreign powers that he paid a former U.S. general to advise former Taiwan president Tsai Ing-wen in late 2017, but denied seeking to endanger China's national security.

Former Hong Kong media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying has admitted to connecting three ex-United States officials with the Taiwanese government to offer advice on foreign relations and strengthening diplomatic ties with Washington,