Todd Bishop
The Wall Street Journal quoted a person familiar with the matter on August 28, and the US Department of Justice plans to open a submarine fiber-optic cable from Los Angeles to Hong Kong on the grounds of national security.
According to the report, the Pacific Ocean Cable Network (PLCN), which is about 8,000 kilometers long, was built by Google, Facebook and Dr. Telecommunications, the fourth largest telecommunications company in China. The laying project has been completed. The temporary construction permit will expire in September and will require a commercial license to be operational after completion.
However, the report said that the special telecommunications group (Team Telecom) under the US Foreign Investment Committee (CFIUS) is considering the plan. People familiar with the matter said that representatives from the Ministry of Justice in the group strongly opposed the plan and believed that the project involved investors from China, and the cable would be directly connected to Hong Kong or easily controlled by China, thus opposing the operation of the fiber network.
The report said that if the United States really refused to apply for PLCN’s operation this time, it would be the first case in history that was rejected on the grounds of national security, and released a new signal that the United States took a tough stance against China.
