ISEAS Perspective - The Struggle for Subsea Cable Supremacy in Southeast Asia: ASEAN Relying on Diverse Suppliers

Picture: Visitors watch a deep-sea cable-laying robot at the 2024 World Industrial Design Conference (WIDC) in Yantai, China, on 20 September 2024 | Photo by CFOTO/NurPhoto/NurPhoto via AFP

In this paper published by NYSEAN Partner ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute, Cha Hae Won asserts that the subsea cable industry in Southeast Asia has become a focal point of US-China geopolitical competition. China has expanded its influence through infrastructure projects and exclusionary tactics, while the US and its allies have formed minilateral partnerships to counter China, resulting in a more bifurcated and polarized industry.

Cha Hae Won is Research Officer in the Regional Strategic and Political Studies Programme at ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute