Underwater war How does Beijing compete with Washington by extending Internet cables across the Middle East?

As technology continues to play an increasingly important role in the global economy and international relations, the race to control digital infrastructure will become fiercer, especially after China entered the arena of competition that has been dominated by the United States for decades.

In a competition for US hegemony over the global Internet infrastructure, China's acceleration of the pace to establish a digital silk road is no less important than the Belt and Road Initiative that strengthened the country's influence on the global trade arena, in order to strengthen its position in the broader competition between the two countries for dominance in the digital field.

In recent years, China and the United States have engaged in a new form of competition: the Internet Cable War, in which the two countries vie for control of the world's Internet infrastructure by laying Internet cables under the sea. Beijing is making a concerted effort to compete with Washington in this arena, with the aim of increasing its influence in the global economy and potentially gaining strategic advantage in the event of conflict.

And yesterday, Thursday, in the latest chapters of the technological competition between Beijing and Washington, Reuters said that Chinese state-owned telecom companies are developing a $ 500 million undersea fiber optic Internet cable network that will connect Asia, the Middle East and Europe, to compete with a similar project backed by the United States.

Also read: A digital silk road.. What do you know about the "cable war" between America and China?

new chinese player

Four sources with direct knowledge of the plan, who asked Reuters not to be identified because they are not allowed to discuss potential trade secrets, said the proposed cable, known as EMA (Europe, Middle East and Asia), would link Hong Kong. Kong in the province of Hainan Island, China, before heading to Singapore, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and France.

The new cable, which is one of the most advanced and long-distance submarine cable networks in the world, is being implemented by the three major telecommunications companies in China, namely: China Telecom, China Mobile Limited, and China Unicom. What will be manufactured and laid on the seabed is China HMN Technologies Co., Ltd., a fast-growing cable company.

For its part, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement to Reuters that it "always encourages Chinese companies to carry out foreign investments and (open ways) for cooperation," without commenting directly on the cable project.

Similar American project

The newly revealed Chinese cable project competes with another US project currently being implemented by the American company Sapcom and will also connect Singapore to France via Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and six other countries. It is called "CMW-6", which is short for (Southeast Asia, Middle East and Western Europe-6).

While Sapcom declined to comment on the competing cable project, as did the Department of Justice, which oversees an interagency task force to protect US communications networks from espionage and cyberattacks, a State Department spokesman said the United States supports a free, open, and secure Internet. He added that countries should prioritize security and privacy by "totally excluding untrusted companies" from wireless networks, terrestrial and undersea cables, satellites, cloud services and data centers.

Although the US State Department spokesman did not mention the Chinese companies or Beijing, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said: It opposes the US "violating the well-established international rules" on cooperation in the field of submarine cables. "The United States should stop making up and spreading rumors about so-called data surveillance activities, and stop defaming and smearing Chinese companies," she added.

Cable war between Beijing and Washington

Undersea cables are the backbone of the Internet, responsible for transporting more than 99% of global data traffic. These cables connect continents and countries, allowing people around the world to communicate and access information in real time. As such, it has become a strategic asset for countries seeking to expand their reach and influence in the digital world.

In recent years, China has invested heavily in submarine cables , with state-owned enterprises taking the lead in laying new cables and upgrading existing ones. In 2019, China had a total of 163,000 km of submarine cable, while the United States had 306,000 km. However, this gap is rapidly shrinking, as China rapidly expands its cable network.

According to a previous report published by Bloomberg in March 2021, in which it quoted the Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies and the Leiden Asia Center in the Netherlands, as of 2019, China has become a landing point, owner or supplier of 11.4% of submarine cables around the world. They expect this proportion to grow to 20% between 2025 and 2030.

Inside the dragon's hole Will the US military presence spark new tension in the China Sea?

The United States will double its military presence in the Philippines, after the country allowed it to use four new naval bases. This was protested by China due to its proximity to its territorial waters, warning that it might lead to an escalation that threatens security and peace in the region.

The United States is seeking to strengthen its military presence in the South China Sea, after the Philippines allowed it to use four additional naval bases, one of which is on the outskirts of Taiwan's territorial waters. The launch of huge naval military maneuvers, in which thousands of US military personnel will take part, is also imminent.

These developments resent China, which described the matter in the words of its foreign ministry as a "threat" to peace and stability in the region. While the South China Sea lives mainly on a hot plate of political tensions, the dispute over the delineation of territorial waters mixes with the energy resources that its subsoil embraces.

America in the Philippines

During his visit to the capital, Manila, in early February, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin succeeded in striking a deal with Philippine officials, according to which the US army was allowed to exploit four naval bases in the northwest of the country.

Philippine and US officials said in a joint statement that Washington and Manila agreed to expand an existing agreement to include four new sites "in strategic areas of the country".

Under this agreement, the United States will raise its military presence in the Philippines to 9 military bases. According to a Pentagon official, this agreement "is about working together on common security challenges that have an impact here in the Philippines and potentially in the region."

"What we're doing with the Philippines is working with them so, together as an alliance, we can help ensure their future, and so they have the ability to defend their sovereignty and prevent the kind of (Chinese) coercion they face on a daily basis," the same official added. .

The United States intends to conduct large-scale naval military exercises in Philippine waters, along with Manila forces, between 11 and 28 April. These exercises will involve more than 17,000 soldiers, 12,000 of whom are from the US Navy, and thus will be the largest joint exercise the two countries have conducted.

Chinese resentment

The Chinese government attacked this step, considering it a threat to its internal security and stability and peace in the South China Sea region.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ming said, "Given the long list of turmoil, divisions and destruction left by the US military around the world, the countries surrounding the South China Sea should carefully consider the consequences of further US military deployment in the region . " .

And the spokeswoman added in a press conference on Thursday: “Will the increased US military deployment in a country in the region really help protect regional sovereignty, security, peace and stability? Or rather, will it lead to irreparable serious consequences? These questions deserve deeper thinking from the countries of the region.” ".

"We hope that the countries in the region will see clearly who is fueling tensions across the Taiwan Strait and for what purpose, and will not pull someone else's chestnuts out of the fire at their own expense," the spokeswoman concluded.

Mao Ning had previously touched on the same topic in early February, saying: "Out of self-interest, the United States continues to strengthen its military deployment in the region with a zero-sum mentality, which exacerbates tension in the region and endangers regional peace and stability." , and called on countries in the region to "remain vigil against this and avoid coercion and use by the United States."

Rivalry rages around the South China Sea

The South China Sea region is known for the intensification of competition between all the countries bordering it, and its allies from outside the region, due to its strategic location, which enables the controller to extend his influence over six of the most important economies of East Asia. In addition to seizing an area crowded with shipping lines.

For China, the region is important to protect its national security and to assert its claim of sovereignty over the island of Taiwan. China is working on building artificial islands in the waters of the South China Sea, and the emergence of the first of them was monitored in 2013, and by 2016 the number reached seven artificial islands.

Western reports stated that China is deploying its forces on these islands and building military bases on them, which was condemned by former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, considering it an "illegal" move.

In addition to this strategic dimension, extensive exploration in the South China Sea revealed large energy reserves. These explorations in the Red Bank area, which the Philippines considers part of its territorial waters, revealed oil reserves estimated at 165 million barrels, in addition to natural gas fields with reserves of 3.4 billion cubic meters .