Undersea internet cables are causing geopolitical tension
Are we tugging at the wrong wires?
Aid and cables
Pacific Island countries are keen to improve their connectivity. In response, aid donors have been funding new cables.
Australia funded the Coral Sea Cable System for Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands that launched inDecember 2019. New Zealand supported the Cook Islands component of the Manatua cable, which landed in Cook Islands inSeptember 2020.
Australia, the US, and Japan are planning a second cablefor Palauand Australia has provided funding to assess route options forTimor Leste’sfirst cable.
Chinese companies shut out
The laying of undersea internet cables has become entwinedwith geopolitics.
A recent tender process for the East Micronesia cable, which was to be funded by the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank,elicited warningsfrom the US to the Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, and Kiribati about “security threats posed by a Chinese company’s cut-price bid”. Such concerns may have been behind a decision todeclare all three bids invalid.
Since then, Nauru has reportedly beenconsidering a cable routethat would connect to Solomon Islands (allowing internet traffic to flow on to Australia from there). Another possibility is that the USmay step into fund a cable following the same route as initially planned.
The Solomon Islands government hadreportedlyorganized for a Chinese company to lay a cable from Solomon Islands to Australia, but the Australian governmentstepped into fund the project instead. This move “shut out Huawei Marine”, which had been contracted by the Solomon Islandsto do the work.
Security concerns
There are concerns in Australia and among allies about potential risks associated with China having access to, or control of, internet cables. Such concerns have increased since Chinese company Huaweistarted to layundersea cables.
Taiwan hasreportedly expressedsimilar anxiety:
Similar concerns appear to be behind the cancellation of three planned cables, backed by Facebook and Google among others, that were to link to Hong Kong. Those plans changed after the introduction of Hong Kong’s extradition laws and other shifts in its political landscape.
TheHong Kong-Americascable plan was withdrawn, a planned Hong Kong connection forthe Pacific Light cablewas abandoned andthe Bay-to-Bay Expresswas also dropped.
US sanctions
The USDepartment of Justicehas made its concerns clear:
The US has imposedsanctionsagainst Huawei and other Chinese companies. For its part, Huawei has repeatedly denied accusations of spying and links to the Chinese state andhas offeredto have its equipment tested.
In August this year, Chinese telecommunication company China Mobilepulled outof ownership of a cable that is to link the Philippines and the US. Sanctions against the company would have stopped the cable projectfrom going ahead.
Geopolitics is not the only concern
As with the recentsubmarine announcementand other areas of collaboration, Australia could work with partner countries to establish strategic connectivity proposals. Ideally, plans for internet connections would put the needs of recipient countries and their citizens first. New internet infrastructure planning would also take into account theenvironmental consequencesof both construction and operation.
However, in the current context, geopolitical considerations seem likely to weigh heavily on the minds of decision-makers.
The USdominatesthe internet and it is controlling the rollout of internet cables in the Pacific and elsewhere.
It remains to be seen what this will mean for people in Pacific Island nations. If traditional partner countries consult with local leaders about what they want, then all may be well. Time may reveal whether internet access in the Pacific region is held back by geopolitical tensions.
Article byAmanda H A Watson, Research Fellow, Department of Pacific Affairs,Australian National University
This article is republished fromThe Conversationunder a Creative Commons license. Read theoriginal article.
Story byThe Conversation
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