Undersea Cables in the South China Sea: A New Frontier of Us-China Strategic Competition and The Dilemma for Southeast Asian Countries

Abstract

This research paper examines the strategic competition between the United States and China over undersea fiber-optic infrastructure in the South China Sea, a region rapidly emerging as a new frontier in the global digital order. Drawing on the theory of “Weaponized Interdependence”, the article demonstrates how these undersea cables have become politicized, serving as instruments for exerting systemic influence, enacting strategic denial, and applying soft coercion. While the US promotes undersea cable networks designed to bypass China and thereby secure global data chokepoints, China is concurrently making significant investments in digital infrastructure through its “Digital Silk Road” initiative. This intensifying contest beneath the South China Sea heightens the risks of infrastructure disruption, infringes upon digital sovereignty, and places Southeast Asian nations in a complex strategic predicament. The paper argues that ASEAN countries must move beyond a passive stance to actively assert their strategic role. This involves forging a “collective digital sovereignty” characterized by common technical standards, independent data centers, and collaborative measures to protect digital infrastructure security. Such an approach aims to prevent ASEAN nations from being drawn into the technological orbits of the superpowers, thereby safeguarding their centrality within the regional security order.