WORLDTECHChinese Survey Activity Near Pacific Cables Raises Sabotage Concerns for US Tech Owners
A new report says undersea cables in the Pacific owned by US technology companies face serious exposure to deep-sea sabotage, with China named as a growing concern. The warning draws on reports of unusually intensive survey work by Chinese research ships along seabed routes.
Chinese vessels under scrutiny near cable routes
Reports indicate that Chinese research ships have been devoting an unusual amount of time to apparently surveying undersea cables. Separately, Chinese commercial vessels have been investigated over cable cutting in European and Asian waters.
The report places trans-Pacific cables owned by US companies among those facing rising sabotage risks and points to China as a source of that threat.
Accidents still cause most cable damage
The same evidence suggests that most harm to the cables carrying the internet's core traffic comes from mishaps rather than deliberate action. Fishing trawl nets dragged along the seabed and ship anchors account for the bulk of incidents, with storms and undersea landslides also contributing.
That distinction matters, because deliberate sabotage represents a different kind of threat from the everyday accidents behind most breaks.
Open questions
- Are the survey operations by Chinese research ships aimed at particular cables?
- What share of the Pacific cable network is owned by US companies?