INDO-PACIFIC OUTLOOK

APLN member Elina Noor publishes a paper on Indo-Pacific Outlook. She argues that the competition between the US and China is leading to the fragmentation of cable networks. As a result, Southeast Asian countries are increasingly compelled to decide between infrastructure provided by China and that provided by the US and its partners.

This article demonstrates that Southeast Asia has been involved in undersea cable networks since the 19th century and that these cables are increasingly valuable to regional countries—but also increasingly vulnerable. It argues that US-China competition is resulting in a fragmentation of cable networks, and consequently, Southeast Asian countries are increasingly being forced to choose between infrastructure provided by China and infrastructure provided by the US and its partners. This article also argues that the region has been remiss in not taking a more comprehensive approach to the construction, routing, and protection of undersea cables. It concludes with recommendations for the creation of a new multi-stakeholder council of interagency officials, industry captains, and foreign policy and security practitioners to discuss cross-cutting technological issues, including undersea cables.

The original post can be accessed here.