The Research Institute for Democracy, Society and Emerging Technology (DSET) and Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP) on Oct. 30 hosted a panel event in Washington DC. DSET Energy Security and Climate Resilience Program Director Tsaiying Lu and Non-resident Fellow Ta-Chen Chen highlighted the persistent gap in legal protections for communication cables in international waters and the growing, neglected national security risks posed by power cable dependencies. Participants included representatives from think tanks and government institutions in Washington DC.
Chen presented a timely analysis of the vulnerability and protection of submarine cables, which transmit 97% of the world’s communications. His presentation highlighted the persistent limitations in norms and practices in the protection of submarine cables, despite the introduction of emerging technologies.
He identified three potential strategic tracks to address this challenge, as unilateral expansion of jurisdiction into international waters is legally unfeasible. The most actionable approach involves international cooperation with flag of convenience countries to push them to delegate their jurisdiction to cooperating states for enforcement and prosecution in international waters regarding submarine cable damages. This strategy aligns with existing international practices used to combat issues in international waters like illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and narcotics trafficking.
Following the session on telecommunications cables, Lu presented the team’s latest research on submarine power cables, urging greater international attention to the risks of overreliance on Chinese suppliers. She warned that with limited global repair capacity, any cable failure could take months to fix, and the threat is potentially triggering both energy and national security crises.
Lu outlined how Chinese cable manufacturers, supported by state subsidies, have built up key component industries and are now working to set global technical standards that would consolidate their market dominance. The report also found that China has sought to circumvent foreign investment restrictions by forming joint ventures and acquiring local companies in European cable projects. Lu called on Taiwan to legally classify submarine power cables as critical infrastructure, reduce dependence on Chinese-made insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) components, and strengthen cooperation with partners such as the United States, Japan, and South Korea to build a resilient “non-red” supply chain.
