China urged to protect underwater cables amid growing fears of ocean sabotage

News - South China Morning Post · Aug 5, 2026

Beijing has been urged to create its own law to protect its underwater fibre-optic cables, as global fears grow over sabotage of critical ocean infrastructure. The recommendation by Shanghai Maritime University law professor Guo Ran comes amid growing threats to the undersea cables that carry about 99 per cent of global intercontinental data, including in critical chokepoints such as the Red Sea and the Baltic Sea. As a major coastal state and a key investor in the Digital Silk Road, China has a...