Deep sea submarine data cables are the lifeblood of the world’s electronic communications, allowing for Zoom calls, credit card transactions and YouTube videos. They are so vital to the functioning of the world economy that in January 2022, shortly before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the UK’s military chief warned that Russian submarines could disrupt those undersea cables - an ongoing concern for years.
It’s no wonder China is ramping up its ambitions to build, own and operate such cables, as part of its Digital Silk Road across the world. Chinese telcos like Huawei, Zte, China Telecom, China Mobile and China Unicom have been investing in the construction and maintenance of submarine cables. including as part of major international consortia.
But China’s plans have raised serious security concerns in the West, with the potential for espionage and cyberwarfare. The US has deemed Chinese companies involved as a national security risk.
00:00 How submarine cables are laid
00:45 Britain’s sabotage of telegraph cables in World War I
01:36 Who owns and operates subsea cables?
02;19 Security concerns about Russia and China
03:12 China’s PEACE cable project
03:52 US declares ‘national security risk’
About Silk Road 2.0: Understand how China’s signature Belt and Road initiative is evolving as a result of the pandemic. In this series, we travel across the world to uncover the emergence of a Digital, Health and Green Silk Road.
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