Commentary | Eyeing submarine optical cables? The "China-phobic anxiety" of American hawks has flared up again
The China hawks in Washington have begun to "play tricks" again. They are bent on frustrating China. They continue to try to suppress Chinese companies and disrupt normal economic activities. This time, they are "targeting" submarine telecommunications optical cables.
Undersea fiber optic cables are a fundamental component of the global digital infrastructure. China hawks are taking advantage of this to justify their attempts to separate China from the global system. It is reported that some U.S. government officials have privately warned telecom operators that involving China in the maintenance of submarine optical cables may cause "security risks" and that Chinese ships involved in the maintenance of submarine optical cables may "endanger the security of U.S. commercial and military data." .
There are reports that senior officials in the Biden administration have received relevant briefings, saying that the participation of Chinese companies in this field poses potential "security threats" and that Chinese ships involved in related operations "appear to be concealed from radio and satellite tracking services." "Location", alarmists even claim that China may use this to steal data, draw seafloor maps, and eavesdrop on U.S. military communications.
Although some insiders pointed out that the loss of ship tracking data may only be due to unstable satellite coverage, rumormongers who enthusiastically believe in the "China threat" still claim that Chinese ships may tamper with U.S. submarine optical cables during maintenance operations.
In response, a spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in the United States said that China does not understand the United States' concerns about Chinese companies. "There is no problem for Chinese companies to carry out normal business activities in accordance with the law. We firmly oppose the United States' generalization of national security concepts, attacks and smearing Chinese companies." "
Although relevant parties still maintain a low-key attitude on the matter, citing the participation of Chinese companies in the global submarine optical cable network is also an extension of the United States' "substantial decoupling" from China in key technology areas.
During Trump’s term in office, the U.S. government squeezed Chinese companies out of its domestic telecommunications infrastructure network. Since then, the U.S. has not only rerouted some key undersea cables to avoid China, but has also continued to block Chinese companies from participating in the response. project.
Reuters quoted Justin Sherman, a researcher at the Atlantic Council, as saying that geopolitical tensions between China and the United States involve all aspects, and submarine optical cables may be involved in these aspects. It is naturally insufficient for China hawks to attack submarine optical cables. Strange.
Despite this, the China hawks are now sounding the "alarm bell" more for the sake of the upcoming US election. It is foreseeable that the United States will continue to increase the hype on anti-China issues in the coming weeks, and all kinds of nonsense will become even more popular.
This article is compiled from the editorial of China Daily on May 21
