Bypassing Beijing: The Undersea Battle for Southeast Asia’s Digital Future

The recent announcement of a $14 billion trans-Pacific internet cable that will bypass the South China Sea is just the latest salvo in an ongoing struggle for control over Southeast Asia’s digital infrastructure. This development has significant implications, driven by Washington’s concerns about China’s growing influence in the region.

At its core, this conflict is not about technology but geopolitics. The subsea cable is merely a conduit for data; the real prize is control over the networks that underpin the internet itself. In Southeast Asia, Washington’s Pax Silica alliance is facing off against Beijing’s World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization, with countries like Singapore caught in the middle.

Southeast Asia has long been considered a beacon of neutrality, avoiding entanglements in great power politics to focus on economic development. However, Muhammad Faizal Bin Abdul Rahman, a research fellow at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, warns that this notion is outdated. Countries like Singapore need to re-evaluate their policies to avoid becoming too dependent on any single major power.

The undersea cables themselves are relics of the past, with over 99% of internet traffic flowing through these fiber-optic lines. The aging Asia-America Gateway cable has been plagued by frequent outages, especially within the intra-Asia section between Singapore and Hong Kong – a problem that the new cable is intended to solve.

This is not just about technical reliability; it’s also about politics. By building cables that avoid Chinese waters, Washington is signaling its intent to control the flow of data through Southeast Asia. Alex Capri, a senior lecturer at the National University of Singapore, notes, “Washington will double down on extending its influence and control over the full subsea and land-based infrastructure ecosystem.”

This development is not new; it’s part of an ongoing effort by Washington to outmaneuver Beijing in Southeast Asia. The Pacific Light Cable Network, initiated in 2015 with backing from U.S. tech giants Meta and Google, was originally set to link California with Hong Kong – but was blocked by Washington due to national security concerns over its connection to a Chinese parent entity.

As the two superpowers engage in an undersea battle for dominance, Southeast Asia is caught in the middle. Countries like Singapore face a choice: accommodate two parallel tech stacks – one led by Washington and the other by Beijing – or opt to take sides, risking economic isolation and political instability.

The implications of this struggle extend beyond the subsea cables themselves to the very foundations of the digital ecosystem in Southeast Asia. China’s ongoing efforts to build its own cable network, linking Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, pose a significant challenge to the region. The stakes are high – but one thing is certain: the future of Southeast Asia’s digital infrastructure will be shaped by the great powers vying for control.

This undersea battle raises fundamental questions about Southeast Asia’s neutrality and its very survival. Can countries like Singapore maintain their independence in a world where two superpowers are competing for influence? The answer remains uncertain, but one thing is clear: the region’s future will be shaped by the choices it makes in this ongoing struggle for control over its digital infrastructure.