“Sino-US joint venture submarine cable project is likely to be ended because of national security concerns,” Wall Street Journal reported on the 29th, quoted an anonymous source as saying that US officials are seeking to block Google, Facebook and Dr. Peng (6.540), -0.18, -2.68%) The “Pacific (3.440, -0.02, -0.58%) Light” submarine cable project supported by the Telecommunications Media Group, the relevant national security review “may rewrite the rules of Internet connectivity between China and the United States.”

According to reports, the “Pacific Light” project plans to lay 12,900 kilometers of submarine cable between Hong Kong, China and Los Angeles on the west coast of the United States. Under the temporary permit, the project has already been laid out mostly, and the permit will be available in September this year. The project promises to provide faster network connectivity for investors on both sides of the Pacific, with a construction cost of at least $300 million. But The Wall Street Journal said that the US Department of Justice, which leads a multi-sectoral telecommunications review team, issued a firm opposition to the project because of concerns about the Chinese investor’s “relationship with the Chinese government” and Hong Kong’s autonomy.

According to the report, the submarine cable network almost carries the transmission tasks of all Internet data in the world. About 380 active submarine cables around the world carry about 95% of intercontinental voice and data traffic, which is critical to the economic and national security of most countries. There are already many optical cables between China and the United States. In the past, as long as the US company responsible for fiber optic cable projects took measures to prevent overseas government from blocking or using traffic, the “Telecommunication Group” led by the US Department of Justice would approve such projects, including direct connection to fiber optic cable projects in the US and China, or China’s state-owned telecommunications. Operator’s project.  The commentary said that if the United States vetoed the application for permission for the “Pacific Light” project, it would be the first time the United States refused to issue submarine cable licenses on the grounds of “national security,” which may mean that regulators have adopted a tougher new approach to Chinese projects.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the Hong Kong company Pacific Optical Cable Data Communications Co., Ltd., which manages the project, said that the project has already laid more than 11,000 kilometers of cable systems, which will be put into use in December this year or January next year. Winston Qiu, senior vice president of the company, said, “We have not heard any objections.” A Google spokesman said: “We are currently engaged in a positive and fruitful dialogue with the US government to try to meet them in the Pacific. Specific requirements for fiber optic cable projects.”

According to the report, supporters of the “Pacific Light” project said that the approval of the project would enable the United States to better monitor the data transmitted through the cable because the “Telecommunications Team” could recommend that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) force these companies to agree. Certain conditions to protect national security.  And if the United States blocks this cable, the need for larger data capacity still exists, and the data will only be transmitted through other fiber optic cables that are not necessarily under US jurisdiction. According to reports, the FCC is responsible for the final decision on whether to license the Pacific Cable Project.

There are signs that the United States has crowded out Chinese companies in the communications field. According to reports, the US “Telecom Group” changed its long-term position on Chinese companies applying for telecommunications services through the US network last year. For the first time, it is recommended to reject China Mobile’s application for international communications services in the United States based on national security and law enforcement considerations. In May of this year, the FCC adopted the proposal, although the committee had previously approved similar applications from China Telecom and China Unicom (5.850, -0.10, -1.68%). The Wall Street Journal said that some US officials and some allied officials also launched a massive move to exclude Chinese Huawei from the next generation of mobile networks and limit its role in submarine cable networks.

Xiang Ligang, an authoritative expert in China’s communications industry, told the Global Times on the 29th that the submarine cable is the basic guarantee for large-scale communication between continents, and is more powerful, stable and of higher quality than that of communication satellites.  There are many submarine cables between China and the United States at different access points.  The US “safety concerns” about the “Light of the Pacific” project are very ridiculous. According to its logic, the international communications industry cannot develop normally. If the United States calls for the suspension of the project, it will have an adverse impact on the improvement of China-US network communication capabilities, but will not affect the normal operation of related businesses in this field.