Beijing also defended its role in submarine cable projects, warning that treating undersea networks as a security issue could disrupt markets and global digital connectivity.
China criticized a reported U.S. State Department plan to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to curb Beijing’s influence in Latin America, Africa and Asia, arguing that international cooperation should not be aimed at any third party. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said Beijing opposed “forming exclusive groupings” and framed China’s ties with developing countries as focused on shared development rather than geopolitical rivalry. He also pushed back on reported U.S. concerns about China’s involvement in international submarine fiber-optic cable networks, calling the systems critical civilian infrastructure for global internet connectivity. Lin said politicizing undersea cable projects and turning them into a security issue would disrupt normal market rules, threaten global digital connectivity and cybersecurity, and serve no one’s interests. He said China supports cooperation on submarine cable projects based on “fairness, justice, equality and inclusiveness” and is ready to work with other countries on the construction and protection of submarine cables and other global information infrastructure.