China’s undersea cable threat raises $10T fears as Trump-Xi talks loom

The U.S. system is nether threat from adversaries for illustration China targeting undersea cables pinch nan expertise to "inflict devastating economical chaos almost astatine will," a erstwhile U.S. intelligence charismatic warned Sunday.

These cables transportation 99% of world information and support up to $10 trillion successful regular financial transactions, according to reports.

Andrew Badger, main strategy serviceman astatine Coalition Systems, a defense tech startup, said arsenic President Donald Trump is group to meet pinch Chinese President Xi Jinping successful Beijing for talks expected to attraction connected trade, artificial intelligence and Taiwan.

Taiwan, a flashpoint successful U.S.-China tensions, has reported astir 30 subsea cablegram incidents successful caller years, including 1 successful which Chinese vessels allegedly severed cables and trim communications for months.

INTERNATIONAL UNDERWATER CABLE ATTACKS BY RUSSIA, CHINA ARE NO ‘MERE COINCIDENCE’ WARNS EU’S TOP DIPLOMAT

Two Taiwan Coast Guard unit committee a Togo-flagged cargo vessel to inspect it for suspected harm to a submarine cablegram connecting Taiwan Island and Penghu Island successful waters disconnected Penghu, Taiwan, connected Feb. 25, 2025.  (Taiwan Coast Guard/Anadolu)

"America depends connected nan vulnerable tense strategy of subsea cables for modern life," Badger, a erstwhile Pentagon charismatic and author, told Fox News Digital earlier informing that U.S. adversaries "seek to move nan bottommost of nan water into a battlefield."

"The asymmetric threat — China and Russia are devoting acold much resources to attacking undersea infrastructure than nan U.S. aliases its friends are to defending it," Badger said.

"They've identified 1 of our top vulnerabilities, and we haven't caught up. A coordinated onslaught connected American undersea infrastructure could fundamentally disrupt our measurement of life — nan internet, banking, energy markets and subject communications each tally done these cables. The dollar costs is almost incalculable, and nan existent harm would beryllium nan chaos and governmental instability that would follow," he said.

Badger’s remarks came aft Senate Republican Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., alongside Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., introduced nan bipartisan Strategic Subsea Cables Act of 2026 successful April.

The legislation is aimed astatine strengthening nan information and resilience of captious undersea infrastructure.

TAIWAN COAST GUARD DETAINS CHINESE-CREWED VESSEL SUSPECTED OF CUTTING UNDERSEA CABLE

The Chinese bulk bearer Yi Peng 3 is anchored successful nan oversea of Kattegat adjacent Granaa, Denmark, connected Nov. 20, 2024. Denmark's navy said it was shadowing nan alloy successful nan Baltic Sea amid investigations into suspected sabotage of undersea telecom cables by Finland and Sweden. (Mikkel Berg Pedersen/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP)

"Undersea cables are important for a assortment of reasons. They transportation 99% of nan world’s net traffic. They besides support $10 trillion successful financial transactions each and each day," Barrasso said successful a statement.

In April, China’s Ministry of Natural Resources confirmed a successful deep-sea ngo testing an precocious "electro-hydrostatic actuator," a instrumentality tin of slicing done armored submarine cables astatine depths of 3,500 meters, according to reports.

Similar suspicious disruptions person been reported successful Europe and elsewhere, raising concerns astir coordinated "gray-zone" operations designed to probe Western responses while remaining beneath nan period of unfastened conflict.

"This is hybrid warfare successful its purest form, designed to weaken nan adversary beneath nan period of declared war," Badger said, noting that incidents specified arsenic anchors dragging crossed nan seabed tin supply plausible deniability.

HORMUZ CHAOS SPARKS WARNING: CHINA COULD STRANGLE TAIWAN WITHOUT FIRING A SHOT

A divided image shows Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, and President Donald Trump, right. (Vincent Thian/POOL/AFP via Getty Images; Salwan Georges/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

"Cables springiness Beijing and Moscow nan expertise to inflict devastating economical chaos almost astatine will," Badger warned. "This gives some nations tremendous strategical leverage complete nan U.S."

China could besides perchance target American undersea cables arsenic a deterrent to U.S. engagement successful Taiwan, according to Badger.

"Beijing could simultaneously target cables landing successful nan U.S., not to triumph militarily, but pinch nan extremity of breaking nan American public's will to intervene successful Taiwan," he said.

China claims Taiwan arsenic its ain territory, while nan U.S. — Taiwan’s largest unofficial state — supplies weapons nether a law requiring it to thief nan land take sides itself.

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The Taiwan Strait is besides a captious artery for nan artificial intelligence revolution’s astir basal resources.

Anniki Mikelsaar of nan Oxford Internet Institute said maturation successful AI’s usage intends "rising capacity requirements connected submarine cables. Not each caller cablegram harm incidents tin beryllium attributed to overseas adversaries: nan ICPC estimates 150 to 200 cablegram breaks hap per twelvemonth astir nan globe, astir of them accidents," she said.