US-China rivalry is heating up over critical digital infrastructure to and in Africa, according to a report in the South China Post, which noted a speech by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Pretoria last week that emphasized the importance of democracy and warned about “the consequences when international infrastructure deals are corrupt and coercive, when they’re poorly built or environmentally destructive, when they import or abuse workers, or burden countries with crushing debts”.
Blinken “warned the world about Chinese digital dominance and alleged espionage aims” and US spending $300 million on building data centres in Africa, plus $600 million on a 17,000km undersea cable that will run from Southeast Asia, through the Horn of Africa to Western Europe “in response to [the] Chinese-led transcontinental peace cable”, the report said.
Read the full report: The South China Morning Post.
ALSO SEE:
US Funding Tapped For Pacific Undersea Cable After China Rebuffed
India joins global undersea cable race with Reliance Jio’s help
Huawei submarine cable unit changes name, identity
Google, Facebook told to axe plan for undersea cable to Hong Kong
US, China Firms Vie For Slice of ASEAN Data Centre Market – ST
China and Huawei Move Data Centres Into Hollowed-Out Hills
