Dadeng Island, China

Dadeng Island, China: Submarine Cable Landing Point

Dadeng Island is a small island of approximately 13 square kilometers located in the southeastern part of Xiang'an District, Xiamen City, Fujian Province, in the People's Republic of China. As a submarine cable landing point, it sits within the coastal geography of southeastern China, positioned along one of the most geographically significant maritime corridors in East Asia — the Taiwan Strait. One submarine cable lands at Dadeng Island, connecting it directly to Taiwan and providing a short cross-strait link between the two territories.

The single cable landing here, the Cross-Straits Cable Network (CSCN), establishes a direct submarine connection between mainland China and Taiwan, making Dadeng Island a terminus on one of the more geopolitically notable short-distance cable routes in the region. At just 21 kilometers in length, this is a notably compact system designed specifically to bridge the strait rather than reach across intercontinental distances.

Cables Landing at Dadeng Island, China

The Cross-Straits Cable Network (CSCN) is the sole submarine cable landing at Dadeng Island. Spanning 21 kilometers, it reached ready-for-service status in 2012, though its status was recorded as draft at that time. The cable connects landing points in China and Taiwan, forming a short but direct cross-strait route. With a total length of just 21 kilometers, it stands as one of the shortest submarine cable systems in the broader regional network, reflecting its purpose as a dedicated link across the Taiwan Strait rather than a long-haul intercontinental system.

Regional Context

Within China's submarine cable infrastructure, Dadeng Island hosts one cable across 24 landing points nationwide, placing it in the top 63 percent of Chinese landing points by cable count. Larger hubs such as Chung Hom Kok and Tseung Kwan O each host six cables, while Chongming and Nanhui each land four, and Shantou serves three. Dadeng Island's single-cable profile is shared by a number of other Chinese landing points, reflecting a pattern where specialized short-route connections sit alongside larger multi-cable hubs in the national network.

Network Role

Dadeng Island functions as a single-cable terminus rather than a multi-cable hub, with its network role defined entirely by the Cross-Straits Cable Network. The 21-kilometer CSCN provides a direct submarine pathway between mainland China and Taiwan, enabling connectivity across the Taiwan Strait along one of the shortest possible routes. This cross-strait orientation distinguishes Dadeng Island from the longer-haul intercontinental cables that characterize many of China's other landing points, where average cable lengths extend to approximately 10,860 kilometers.

Within the regional submarine cable graph, Dadeng Island represents a geographically precise terminus: a landing point whose value lies not in the number of systems it hosts or the distances they span, but in the direct bilateral connection it provides between two of the most closely situated yet distinctly served cable territories in East Asia.