Expert notes China’s strategic leverage in SCS subsea networks

CANBERRA, Australia — China’s growing presence in the South China Sea (SCS) subsea cable network, particularly the alleged delays in permitting repairs and upgrades by other countries, gives the Asian superpower strategic leverage in the region, according to a senior analyst of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI).

While this influence primarily affects digital infrastructure, senior analyst at ASPI’s Cyber, Technology, and Security Program, Dr. Fitriani, also noted that this intersects with broader issues such as the tensions in the SCS.

READ: Globe-joins-consortium-to-build-aug-east-subsea-cable

“But then how does China try to revamp its ability to improve its dominance in that area (subsea cable)? Well, by delaying the improvements,” she said during a recent workshop with media policy and maritime security experts under the Southeast Asia Maritime Media Visits Program.

This comes despite the 2019 ASEAN Guidelines for Strengthening Resilience and Repair of Submarine Cables, which, as Fitriani explained, aim to speed up cable repairs since these systems carry a significant portion of the region’s internet traffic.

“But because of the South China Sea dispute, and all the countries around need to agree when there’s a ship that will go down to survey and fix the subsea cable, they need to have a permit from all the claimants in the area,” she pointed out.

“So China delayed those permits. That created a backlog of cable repairing from eight to 40 days. And because of this, they managed to issue only a permit to the cable repair ship that comes from China. So that’s how the encroaching of China on the subsea cable domain,” Fitriani added.

But what are subsea cables? Based on a 2024 report by Agence France-Presse, these cables transport the world’s data and communications across oceans.

They ferry all kinds of data between continents, “transmitting everything from streaming videos and financial transactions to diplomatic communications and essential intelligence,” the report said, citing the US-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

Eric Lavault, a French Navy officer who headed the Marine Seabed Control Department, shared in the same report that subsea cables “very regularly” suffer incidents that can cut traffic, which are caused by underwater landslides, tsunamis, or just boats dropping anchor where they shouldn’t.”

According to Fitriani, China is becoming one of the top producers of subsea cables with HMN Technologies, “an advanced provider of innovative, reliable and flexible turnkey submarine network solutions.”

HMN accounted for 11 percent of the market and was fourth on the list of top providers based on 2021 data.

“So previously in the world of subsea cable, it’s three major players. There’s the US with SubCom, Japan with NEC Corporation, and France with Alcatel Submarine Networks that are dominating around 80 percent of the subsea cable,” Fitriani said.

“But since 2008, China has increasingly become the producer of subsea cable with HMN Technologies. And how do they do that? Exactly with the area they claim as the South China Sea,” she noted.

In response to these developments, Firtriani stated that Australia has sought to safeguard its connectivity and regional security interests by funding subsea cables that link the Coral Sea, Southeast Asia, and beyond.“The goal is trying to bypass the area of conflict, but somehow it’s quite difficult to do so,” the expert revealed. 

“What’s the challenge of this? Not many countries in Southeast Asia are aware of the strategic importance of subsea cables. It’s only been held in knowledge by those technical people. The government doesn’t know so much. And because of that, the regime of regulating, ensuring the cable’s safety, and repair is something of importance for countries,” she added. 

So far, Fitriani has said that only Singapore has hosted an international conference on protecting subsea cables in the region this year.

The Philippines is also taking steps to secure its digital infrastructure amid these regional dynamics. In July this year, Globe Telecom joined a consortium led by Singapore’s Singtel, alongside major tech and telecom firms, to build the Asia United Gateway East (AUG East) submarine cable system.The 8,900-kilometer network will connect Singapore and Japan, with landing points in the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, South Korea, and Taiwan, and is expected to be completed by 2029. /mr