Undersea internet cables supplied by China

Many experts believe that China uses digital infrastructure, such as submarine cables, to exert geopolitical influence. The US has largely prevented China from putting in place a global undersea cable infrastructure due to concerns about espionage and potential disruptions in the event of a conflict. Nonetheless, China has still managed to make inroads by creating networks spanning five continents and many countries (see Figure 2). This has increased the risks of internet fragmentation, potentially leading to a more centralised, tightly controlled and surveilled system. Internet restrictions already exist in countries such as China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Pakistan.