China says it protects undersea cables, as talk of ‘sabotage’ swirls

China has issued a paper to position itself as an important contributor to the protection of undersea cables, following recent high-profile cable-cutting incidents that have fuelled suspicions about Beijing’s “grey-zone” tactics. Asst Prof Dylan Loh of NTU, who studies Chinese foreign policy, saw the report as China trying to make its case to the international, scientific and business community that it is a responsible player in this field. But the actors that really matter, including the US and Taiwan, have made up their minds and this report will do little to move the needle, he said. Dr Collin Koh, a senior fellow at RSIS, said that even as the timing of such research from China might be coincidental, the geopolitical context should not be ignored. Given the recent incidents and tech advancements, they would “naturally and understandably come across as alarming”, he said.

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