Chile turned to China for an undersea cable. The U.S. said no
5 hours ago
- #Undersea Cables
- #Digital Infrastructure
- #Geopolitics
- In February 2026, Chilean minister Juan Carlos Muñoz's U.S. diplomatic visa was revoked by the State Department, citing activities compromising telecom infrastructure.
- The revocation occurred while Chile was assessing China Mobile's proposal for a $500M undersea cable linking Valparaíso to Hong Kong, aiming to diversify digital connections.
- Chile relies heavily on U.S. tech giants like Google, Meta, and Amazon for undersea cables, but seeks to reduce dependency and connect directly to Asia.
- Geopolitical tensions between U.S. and China complicate Chile's relations, as China expands its digital presence in South America through telecom and cloud services.
- Chile initially approved China Mobile's cable in January 2026 but rescinded it after U.S. pressure, leading to a political challenge for new leadership.
- Chile continues to assess the China Mobile project despite Google's Humboldt cable to Australia, emphasizing need for redundancy in data routes to Asia.
- Undersea cable vulnerabilities and intelligence agreements highlight risks of relying on U.S.-controlled infrastructure, prompting considerations for direct links like EllaLink.
- Long-term solution for Chile involves developing sovereign capabilities to reduce reliance on foreign partners, ensuring resilience in digital infrastructure.