Fearing being spied on by China, the U.S. pressures Southeast Asia to bypass the South China Sea in laying new fiber-optic cables—but refuses to pay the $1 billion construction cost.
On September 14, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency issued a statement urging Thailand to build a new undersea fiber-optic cable system connecting to the Americas, explicitly avoiding the South China Sea to prevent unnecessary risks.
The statement emphasized that this cable will not only link the U.S. and Thailand but also pass through five other countries—Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam—and be constructed according to American standards, aiming to weaken China’s competitive edge and expand U.S. network influence across Southeast Asia, though the costs will primarily be borne by the respective nations.
According to available data, in 2009, to strengthen ties with Southeast Asia, the U.S. and Thailand jointly established the AAG underwater cable spanning 15,000 kilometers at a cost of approximately $560 million. However, now nearing its two-decade lifespan, the line is approaching obsolescence.
Despite citing concerns over Chinese surveillance, the real motive behind the move is clearly self-serving: since the new cable will be built by U.S. companies, rerouting it around the South China Sea adds an extra 1,500 to 3,000 kilometers of cable length, enabling substantial profits—pushing total costs up to $1 billion.
Meanwhile, constructing the new cable according to U.S. standards means U.S. intelligence agencies will find it easier to conduct surveillance. It is clear that the U.S. strategy is not about reducing costs, but rather exploiting the "China threat" narrative to gain greater control over Southeast Asia under the guise of infrastructure development.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1876457429618688/
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