SUBSEA CABLES AND GROWING US-CHINA UNDERWATER GEOPOLITICS

As underwater critical infrastructure includes underwater pipelines to transport oil and gas and submarine communication cables or subsea cables that carry around 95% of global data traffic. China’s push to improve its subsea cable infrastructure capability vis-à-vis growing US-China competition has transformed subsea cables into a contentious issue that could disrupt global communication and expose it to more vulnerabilities. Driven by such necessity, growth in China’s investment in cable infrastructure and an increase in its underwater capabilities and maneuverability in international waters have impacted the China-US ties. As US actively reroutes subsea cables to avoid Chinese influence and espionage and data breaches, China’s progress in underwater and efforts to assert its influence and protect its national interests beyond the South China Sea have alarmed the US and its allies. As per the US Department of War report, the suspicion of China’s involvement in recent damages to subsea cables in the Taiwan Strait and Baltic Sea or development of a 4,000 metre deep sea cable cutter by China, reflects expansion of China’s hybrid warfare strategy. Such Chinese push and US-China underwater geopolitics could impact global communication channels, which is alarming and concerning for the world.