China’s snooping around Pacific undersea cables raises risks for Big Tech
Summary
A September 2026 report commissioned by a U.S. congressional advisory commission ranks several Pacific undersea cables with major U.S. company stakes among those most exposed to possible sabotage. It identifies waters near Taiwan, Japan and the Philippines as higher-risk areas and warns that damage to multiple cables could disrupt communications and cloud services between the United States and the Indo-Pacific.Key Facts
- The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission commissioned the report from the London-based China Strategic Risks Institute.
- The report created an interactive index that ranks cable risks using factors such as route depth, shipping traffic, ownership, territorial claims and links to Taiwan.
- The index identifies waters near Taiwan, Japan and the Philippines as the highest-risk areas.
- Google-owned TPU, Meta-owned ORCA and the jointly owned E2A cable project were among the 10 cables rated most at risk; all three ranked in the top five.
- The report says a serious disruption to one trans-Pacific cable could overload available capacity on direct routes between the United States, Taiwan, Japan and the Philippines.
- Damage to several cables could reduce or overwhelm trans-Pacific capacity, forcing traffic onto longer routes and affecting internet communications, cloud services and financial trading.
- Most undersea cable damage results from fishing nets, ship anchors, storms or undersea landslides, but the article says geopolitical tensions have increased scrutiny of possible sabotage.
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