US Funds Feasibility Study for New Transpacific Submarine Cable System
3 sources across 3 countries · Hong Kong · Japan · Philippines
Who reported this
- South China Morning Post
- The Japan Times
- Philippine Daily Inquirer
What the colours mean
- Left
- Centre-left
- Centre
- Centre-right
- Right
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The US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) has announced funding for a feasibility study for the Thailand-US Submarine Cable System, known as Thus. The proposed network would connect Thailand to the United States and potentially five other Southeast Asian nations, including the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Vietnam. The cable could stretch up to 18,507 kilometers and would be built to US engineering standards.
According to the USTDA, the route is designed to avoid the South China Sea and other areas that carry security risks. Colonel Sanpachai Huvanandana, president of Thailand's state owned National Telecom Public Company, stated that the project aims to replace Thailand's aging subsea connection while supporting the growth of cloud, AI, and data center sectors.
Reports on the project's motivation vary by perspective. Center and center right sources describe the initiative as part of a broader US effort to expand secure digital infrastructure and its role in building subsea cables amid competition with China.
How each side framed it
- Centre
- Framed the event as a strategic move by the US to reshape networks in the context of its rivalry with China.
- Centre-right
- Highlighted the technical specifications and the specific goal of avoiding the South China Sea for security reasons.
Sources
93% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.